La Vidaubanaise Le Provençal Côtes de Provence Rosé 2021

The Mâitres Vignerons de la Vidaubanaise have once again fashioned a delicious Le Provencal Côtes de Provence Rosé. This elegant rose tinted wine conjures images of the sun-drenched Provençal countryside along with the region’s rarified air and illuminated landscapes, which shimmer beside the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Unique in appearance, Le Provençal is bottled in the traditional “flute à corset,” the distinctive bottle of the Provence region that recalls charming flower-bedecked villages, colorful outdoor cafés, and fun in the sun. Delicate in color, much like the lightest of pink roses, the 2021 Le Provençal Rosé delights the eye as well as the nose and palate. Faint scents of cherry blossoms and woodland strawberries grace the nose and seep surreptitiously into the wine’s spritely flavor profile. Delicate, dry, scented, and savory, too, Maitres Vignerons’ 2021 Le Provençal Rosé comes across as both spritely and seductive as it slips effortlessly down the thirsty throat. Not unlike the Provençal countryside, there is always a fleeting, yet timeless quality about this wine. No oak, no smoke, no mirrors, the Maitres Vignerons’ 2021 Le Provençal Rosé is just plain enjoyable and, ohhh… so refreshing, but be forewarned; although it slips effortlessly down the thirsty throat, it’s not child’s play. To fully appreciate the delicacy and flavor of this rosé, we suggest only moderate chilling (38°-45° F). Anticipated maturity: 2022-2024. Enjoy!

In Provence, whether one is sitting along the rocky coast of Saint Tropez or overlooking the vineyards of the Vaucluse and nearby craggy heads of the towering Dentelles de Montmirail, rosé is the wine to drink with abandon, with or without food. Although rosé begins every feast or festivity in its native land, neither locals nor tourists need an excuse to open a bottle of the 2021 Le Provençal Côtes de Provence Rosé. It is a wine to sip to while away the hours, watch the sea roll in, or just plain relax. It’s also the ideal wine for a picnic. It pairs nicely with charcuterie, ham, cheeses, salads, and smoked fish as well as such Provençal classics as Bouillabaisse. Grilled fish and chicken make fine companions, too, but then almost anything seems to take to Le Provençal’s 2021 Côtes de Provence rosé. Bon Appétit!

Le Provençal’s Côtes de Provence rosé is a dry, delicate wine that is much more a white wine than a red wine, as it is produced like white wines with minimal skin contact and no time in oak barrel. After harvest, a portion of the grapes undergo a cold maceration at various temperatures and lengths of time according to the grape variety in order to preserve the wine’s delicate aroma. The remaining grapes are vinified by a direct pressing, which imparts a slight pink color from the skins of the dark grapes. The wines are then blended and their élevage (upbringing) takes place entirely in stainless steel tanks until early February, when the young rose-colored wine is bottled for maximum freshness. Rosés continue to capture the world’s palates and remain one of the year’s “hottest” wines.

Provence elicits visions of scintillating landscapes, eye stopping vistas, and undulating fields of lavender and massive cypress as they wave in the winds that wash the countryside clean. Provence is also the birthplace of troubadours and Provençal, the lyrical language of poetry, and the planet’s most endearing wines. And as anyone who has visited this enchanted land knows quite well, Provence is home to this planet’s finest rosé wine, and nary a meal or conversation among friends in Provence begins without a bottle or two of the region’s ethereal, spritely rosé.

More than140 million bottles of wine are produced annually in Provence, a region famous for its wines since the Roman era, and over 105 million bottles (75% of that entire region’s wine production) is rosé. Established in Vidauban in 1922, the Mâitres Vignerons de la Vidaubanaise, the producers of Le Provençal, fashion one of the most charming of all Provençal rosés on the limestone foothills of the Maures Massif in the heart of the Appellation Côtes de Provence. Situated between the gleaming blue of the Mediterranean Sea and the last outcropping of the Alps, Le Provençal Rosé benefits from the region’s Mediterranean climate, which is ideal for the cultivation of traditional Provençal grape varietals such as Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan and Rolle. Le Provençal Côtes de Provence Rosé is a special cuvée selected from various parcels of vines from light, sandy soils as well as hillside vineyards planted on ancient limestone terraces. The combination of terroirs yields an elegant, dry rosé of distinction.

Maitres Vignerons’ wines annually win awards at prestigious competitions, including France’s Concours General Agricole and Mondial du Rosé. Their wines are also featured regularly in the French wine press, which includes France’s celebrated Guide Hachette.