Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Vivid and clear aromas of strawberries and flour. Some hot stones, too. Full body, tight and focused fruit and a fresh and clean finish. Tangy and crisp.
Domaine Mirabeau, founded in 2010 by Stephen and Jeany Cronk, is one of the best-selling and critically acclaimed Provencal rosés in the world. Lead winemaker Nathalie Longefay was born into a winemaking family in Beaujolais. She moved south in 2006 to pursue her interest in wines of Provence, particularly rosé. Nathalie studied Viticulture-Œnologie in Toulouse and subsequently worked in Australia and around France. Considered to be one of the best at her craft, Nathalie has relentless focus and an obsessive attention to detail. She keeps a roving eye on all aspects of winemaking and is constantly looking for improvements, no matter how small.
The estate is a picturesque 25 HA gem in the countryside of Saint-Tropez producing wines of distinction for great restaurants, retailers and connoisseurs around the globe. Domaine Mirabeau falls within the newly created subregion within the Côtes de Provence AOC, Notre Dame des Anges. The terroir covers 3,900 hectares of grapevines interwoven within the landscape of umbrella pines, cork oak trees and chestnut groves forming the Plaine des Maures National Nature Reserve, an ecosystem rich in fauna and flora. The 20-hectare estate includes 14 hectares of vines (principally grenache, cinsault and rolle) and enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot summers, bright sunlight and a prevailing easterly wind. Unlike the rest of the region, which is dominated by low, soft-leaved ‘garrigue’ scrubland, this part of Provence is noticeably different with evergreen ‘maquis’ scrubland and stony terrain formed from pink sandstone and sandy soils. With a large array of wildlife– everything from llamas to beehives – Mirabeau is proud to focus on biodiversity on their estate.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
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.