La Mascaronne ~ Quat' Saisons Côtes de Provence AOP Rosé 2017

The story

The owner of La Mascaronne, Tom Bove, previously owned and revitalised Miraval, the now renowned estate owned by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. He sold Miraval in 1999 when he heard that La Mascaronne was coming up for sale because he was so inspired by the great potential of La Mascaronne's terroir; in Tom's words "La Mascaronne has one of the finest terroir in the Côtes de Provence appellation". In a short time award winning wines were being produced and they are now served in many restaurants in Paris, London and the South of France.

Currently converting to organic status, Mascaronne practises sustainability in all aspects of its vineyard management and winemaking processes and works with respect for the environment and balance of the ecosystem. "Long renowned for the quality of our wines due to the unique terroir - chalk/clay hills completely covered with small stones - and ideal climate, the recent major investment in wine making technology and viticulture is yielding wines of an exciting excellence."

Named Quat' Saisons or Four Seasons, this is a rosé for drinking all year round.

The wine

I set about finding a replacement for the much-loved Rollier rosé as its owners are currently not exporting to the UK; it took a lot of rosé tasting I can tell you but you can be sure that this is a fabulous replacement. This is a pure Provence rosé wine with a typical blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah grapes - in this instance 30%, 55% and 15% respectively.

As you might expect form Côtes de Provence this wine is a beautiful pale salmon colour but whilst it looks quite delicate, the aromas and flavours are fairly intense - stone fruits including mild peach and pear, citrus, grapefruit with some redcurrant tones with floral and mineral notes. The wine is crisp, very refreshing and round in the mouth with a long floral and dry finish.