Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Not a poolside sipper, but rather a big-boned, seriously structured rosé that broods with smoky, savory, flinty power. Fruit isn't the point of this offering, which boasts incense, bergamot root, tobacco and spiced orange peel pulled together by grippy tannins and a saline coating. Graced by salted brioche, the finish goes on and on. Best from 2025 through 2035. 1,000 cases made, 200 cases imported.
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Decanter
The latest cuvée from Clos Cibonne, the only Provence estate allowed to make almost 100% Tibouren thanks to historical precedence. History inspired this wine, harking back to the time before the wine was bottled and was syphoned off from the barrel on demand. Unsurprisingly there are plenty of oak aromatics on the nose, palate and structure here, with notes of vanilla, dried apricots, jasmine tea, sour orange, opulent ripe fruit and saline mineral tension with notes of black tea. Despite age, this still has lots of youthful energy.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Cotes de Provence is an extensive but valuable appellation that includes vineyards bordering the main Provencal appellations. Its sites vary from subalpine hills, which receive the cooling effects of the mountains to the north, to the coastal St-Tropez, a region mainly influenced by the warm Mediterranean sunshine.
Here the focus is on quality rosé, as it defines four fifths of the region’s wines. Following in the rosé footsteps, a lot of new effort is going into the region’s red production as well. A new generation has turned its focus on high quality Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan. Cotes de Provence white wines, which represent a miniscule part of the region as far as volume, are nonetheless worthy of consideration and can include any combination of Clairette, Semillon, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino.