Wines of France / Provence
Provence
I waited 18 years before bringing in any wine from Provence. Surprisingly, one of the main
reasons was that, unlike some other parts of France, Provence never held much allure for me.
It’s full of tourists, red lights and tollbooths—I mean the highway stops in Nice and you have to
basically cross city streets before hooking up with the highway again on the other side of town.
In addition, while I like checking out sexy bodies on the beach as much as anyone else, I like
waves and, unfortunately, the Mediterranean just doesn’t have them. Give me the Atlantic coast
any day!
That being said, I was obviously well aware of the appeal of the wines from the region, and did
begin to more frequently receive requests from both buyers and sellers for wines from
Provence. Around Easter 2016, a couple of business buddies and I had a short window to head
down to the sea. In the weeks leading up to the trip I had requested samples from a half dozen
producers whose white, rosé and red wines we tasted. After tasting through the wines several
times, we came up with a couple that stood above the others and then followed up with visits to
those producers. We were thrilled to see that not only did we still love their wines, but also their
philosophies, pricing, and personalities were in line with ours.
reasons was that, unlike some other parts of France, Provence never held much allure for me.
It’s full of tourists, red lights and tollbooths—I mean the highway stops in Nice and you have to
basically cross city streets before hooking up with the highway again on the other side of town.
In addition, while I like checking out sexy bodies on the beach as much as anyone else, I like
waves and, unfortunately, the Mediterranean just doesn’t have them. Give me the Atlantic coast
any day!
That being said, I was obviously well aware of the appeal of the wines from the region, and did
begin to more frequently receive requests from both buyers and sellers for wines from
Provence. Around Easter 2016, a couple of business buddies and I had a short window to head
down to the sea. In the weeks leading up to the trip I had requested samples from a half dozen
producers whose white, rosé and red wines we tasted. After tasting through the wines several
times, we came up with a couple that stood above the others and then followed up with visits to
those producers. We were thrilled to see that not only did we still love their wines, but also their
philosophies, pricing, and personalities were in line with ours.
The Provence wine region is located in southeast France, just south of the Alps and southeast
of the city of Marseilles along the coast of the Mediterranean sea. The name originally comes
from the Romans, who called the area provincia nostra (our province), and it was indeed the
first Roman province outside of ancient Italy. Wine has been made here for nearly 3,000 years.
Like most regions in France, the phylloxera epidemic destroyed most of the Provençal vines at
the end of the 19th century. But the subsequent development of the railroad transport system,
as well as heavy tourism to the area, helped encourage more planting and increased production
of the local wines that are perfect alongside the adored local cuisine.
Today there are about 27,500 total hectares planted on vastly varying soils. Unique to Provence
is the fact that over 80% of the production is rosé wine—and this number seems to be growing
even more with the recent meteoric rise in popularity of pale-colored rosé in the United States. It
seems American wine drinkers have finally caught on to what Europeans have known for
centuries.
of the city of Marseilles along the coast of the Mediterranean sea. The name originally comes
from the Romans, who called the area provincia nostra (our province), and it was indeed the
first Roman province outside of ancient Italy. Wine has been made here for nearly 3,000 years.
Like most regions in France, the phylloxera epidemic destroyed most of the Provençal vines at
the end of the 19th century. But the subsequent development of the railroad transport system,
as well as heavy tourism to the area, helped encourage more planting and increased production
of the local wines that are perfect alongside the adored local cuisine.
Today there are about 27,500 total hectares planted on vastly varying soils. Unique to Provence
is the fact that over 80% of the production is rosé wine—and this number seems to be growing
even more with the recent meteoric rise in popularity of pale-colored rosé in the United States. It
seems American wine drinkers have finally caught on to what Europeans have known for
centuries.
Provence’s classic Mediterranean climate, with its proximity to the sea and plenty of sunshine, is
tempered (in good and bad ways) by its famous mistral wind. This wind blows in from the north
and has a drying/cooling power that can be very healthy for grapes, yet can at times be so
strong that it blows over entire vines. Veteran wine growers in the area thus know to plant in
protected areas and/or securely train their vines.
There are 8 AOPs within the Provence region, some of the best known of which are Côtes de
Provence (also the largest), Les-Baux-de-Provence, Bandol and Cassis. The most common
white grapes of the region are Rolle (also called Vermentino), Grenache Blanc, Roussanne,
Clairette, Marsanne, Bourbolenc, and Ugni Blanc (also called Trebbiano). On the red side the
star players are similar to those in the neighboring Rhone region, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan,
Cinsault, Mourvedre, Counoise, and Tannat, along with an indigenous grape called Tibouren
and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon brought into the region in the second half of the 1900’s.
tempered (in good and bad ways) by its famous mistral wind. This wind blows in from the north
and has a drying/cooling power that can be very healthy for grapes, yet can at times be so
strong that it blows over entire vines. Veteran wine growers in the area thus know to plant in
protected areas and/or securely train their vines.
There are 8 AOPs within the Provence region, some of the best known of which are Côtes de
Provence (also the largest), Les-Baux-de-Provence, Bandol and Cassis. The most common
white grapes of the region are Rolle (also called Vermentino), Grenache Blanc, Roussanne,
Clairette, Marsanne, Bourbolenc, and Ugni Blanc (also called Trebbiano). On the red side the
star players are similar to those in the neighboring Rhone region, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan,
Cinsault, Mourvedre, Counoise, and Tannat, along with an indigenous grape called Tibouren
and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon brought into the region in the second half of the 1900’s.
Côtes de Provence
The AOP Côtes de Provence is the largest in the Provence region, encompassing 85
communes from the Alpine hills to the coast of Saint-Tropez. As elsewhere in Provence, the
vast majority of wine produced is rosé, followed by red wine and just about 5% white wine. In an
effort to increase quality the AOP decided to cap the amount of Carignan that can go into any
red or rosé blend. There is also a newer AOP winemaking requirement that at least 20% of a
rosé blend must come from the saignée (or “bleeding”) method of grape maceration, in which
some of the juice from the pressed grapes is “bled off” so that the remaining juice is more
concentrated in color, aroma and flavor. This is an AOP with a long winemaking history, and
while many of the newer and/or larger producers are experimenting with more modern methods
and techniques, or shooting for larger quantities at the expense of quality, the majority continues
to make wine the way it always has been. Our Côtes de Provence producer, Château
Hermitage Saint-Martin, falls into that latter group. An estate that was created in the 13th
century by the local abbey, its approximately 16 hectares are being farmed organically to
provide us with our first ever Côtes de Provence wine, the delicious Cuvée Enzo rosé of
Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and a small amount of the white grape Vermentino.
The AOP Côtes de Provence is the largest in the Provence region, encompassing 85
communes from the Alpine hills to the coast of Saint-Tropez. As elsewhere in Provence, the
vast majority of wine produced is rosé, followed by red wine and just about 5% white wine. In an
effort to increase quality the AOP decided to cap the amount of Carignan that can go into any
red or rosé blend. There is also a newer AOP winemaking requirement that at least 20% of a
rosé blend must come from the saignée (or “bleeding”) method of grape maceration, in which
some of the juice from the pressed grapes is “bled off” so that the remaining juice is more
concentrated in color, aroma and flavor. This is an AOP with a long winemaking history, and
while many of the newer and/or larger producers are experimenting with more modern methods
and techniques, or shooting for larger quantities at the expense of quality, the majority continues
to make wine the way it always has been. Our Côtes de Provence producer, Château
Hermitage Saint-Martin, falls into that latter group. An estate that was created in the 13th
century by the local abbey, its approximately 16 hectares are being farmed organically to
provide us with our first ever Côtes de Provence wine, the delicious Cuvée Enzo rosé of
Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and a small amount of the white grape Vermentino.
Bandol
Producing what is undoubtedly the most famous red wine in Provence, the Bandol appellation
lies near the coast east of Marseille. Its soils are mainly limestone and very pebbly, with sandy
marls and sandstones in places. The thick-skinned, late ripening red Mourvedre grape thrives
on these soils and in the balmy Mediterranean climate of this AOP, and indeed must make up
50% of any red Bandol blend. There is also a winemaking regulation for red Bandol: it is
required to be aged in oak for at least 18 months before being released.
I like wines from the Southwest of France that are dark and structured and meant to be tannic,
but I was already importing many wines of that style from regions like Madiran, Iroulèguy and
Béarn. And while I could see Bandol’s physical appeal, their reds always came across as even
more rough and tumble for my taste and I was usually underwhelmed by them. Wine
enthusiasts frequently spoke poetically about the wines, but I often found them to be rustic,
bretty, and in severe need of accompanying food. The region just seemed overrated to me.
This all went out the door when I tasted the wines of Les Vignobles Gueissard, now a valued
part of our book. Their grapes are grown on several different parcels with limestone/sandy soils,
and protected from the mistral by a few different mountains, all of which conditions are perfect
for the Mourvedre grape. If we previously had any doubts about Bandol, they have all
disappeared after tasting and selling this domaine’s Côtes de Provence Blanc Cuvée P (a blend
of Rolle, Vermentino, Clairette and Ugni Blanc), Bandol Rouge (70% Mourvedre, 15%
Grenache, 15% Cinsault) and Bandol Rouge Cros du Loup (80% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache).
Producing what is undoubtedly the most famous red wine in Provence, the Bandol appellation
lies near the coast east of Marseille. Its soils are mainly limestone and very pebbly, with sandy
marls and sandstones in places. The thick-skinned, late ripening red Mourvedre grape thrives
on these soils and in the balmy Mediterranean climate of this AOP, and indeed must make up
50% of any red Bandol blend. There is also a winemaking regulation for red Bandol: it is
required to be aged in oak for at least 18 months before being released.
I like wines from the Southwest of France that are dark and structured and meant to be tannic,
but I was already importing many wines of that style from regions like Madiran, Iroulèguy and
Béarn. And while I could see Bandol’s physical appeal, their reds always came across as even
more rough and tumble for my taste and I was usually underwhelmed by them. Wine
enthusiasts frequently spoke poetically about the wines, but I often found them to be rustic,
bretty, and in severe need of accompanying food. The region just seemed overrated to me.
This all went out the door when I tasted the wines of Les Vignobles Gueissard, now a valued
part of our book. Their grapes are grown on several different parcels with limestone/sandy soils,
and protected from the mistral by a few different mountains, all of which conditions are perfect
for the Mourvedre grape. If we previously had any doubts about Bandol, they have all
disappeared after tasting and selling this domaine’s Côtes de Provence Blanc Cuvée P (a blend
of Rolle, Vermentino, Clairette and Ugni Blanc), Bandol Rouge (70% Mourvedre, 15%
Grenache, 15% Cinsault) and Bandol Rouge Cros du Loup (80% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache).