2022 Mas de Cadenet Rosé Sainte-Victoire

Provence seems to sum up everything enviable about the French lifestyle: a balmy climate, fantastic food, hilltop villages, bustling markets and of course chilled rosé wine.  Between the Mediterranean and the Alps, sun-drenched vines span 200 kilometres, crossing through the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône and part of the Alpes-Maritimes departments.  The soil of wine-making Provence is poor, but well-drained. This shallow land, with no excess humidity, is ideal for the typically Mediterranean plant that is the grapevine.

The Mas de Cadenet estate is found at the bottom of the Sainte-Victoire mountain close to Aix-en-Provence. Here with the Sainte-Victoire Mountain on one side and the Sainte Baume range on the other, a unique micro-climate exists with a lower amount of rain and the greatest variation in temperature in Provence.  With winemaking tracing back to the Romans this area is steeped with history. The Negrel family acquired the estate in 1813 which has south-facing vineyards at 250m above sea level. Still run by the Negrel family, Guy is now in charge with the help of his children, Maud and Matthieu.

The flagship wine is the Mas de Cadenet Rosé Sainte-Victoire.  The microclimate and the calcareous soil of Sainte Victoire brings a magnificent tension to this rosé.   Clear and pale. Red fruits on the nose. On the palate, it is fresh, crisp, and vibrant with subtle and complex flavours of red berries and just the right amount of salty acidity to give tension and grip on the finish.