Winemaker Notes
A pretty light lychee shade, shiny and brilliant. Delicate aromas based on citrus fruits, small fruits (raspberry, blackcurrant) and licorice. Good attack on the palate, both round and fresh with good persistence.
Blend: 35% Merlot, 30% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
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.
Though the Cabardès AOC, approved for reds and rosés, was only established in 1999, winemaking and viticulture stretch back to Roman times. Situated north of Carcassonne in a natural amphitheater on the south-facing slopes of the Montagne Noire, its 550 hectares of hillside vines occupy a unique climatological spot “between the East Wind and the West,” as its official website says.
The East Wind (the Marin) brings soft, humid air from the Atlantic coast, and in it thrive the Bordelaise varieties of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The West Wind (the Cers) brings hot, dry air from the Languedoc plain, ripening the sun-loving southern French varieties, Grenache and Syrah. AOC Cabardès wines must be a minimum 40% each of East Wind and West Wind varieties. The result are wines unique in complexity and character—firm tannins and black fruit from the East, with savory herbs and sunny berry fruit from the West.