2018 Château de Roquefort, Corail, Rosé Cotes de Provence, France.
The Château de Roquefort Corail Rosé, by Raimond de Villeneuve and his team, comes from his biodynamic vineyard, which is situated in an amphitheater at about 1,000ft up, thus having a special microclimate of its own and adds a freshness to the ripe flavors and mineral tones. This estate, with mostly vines over 40 years, is located on the edge of the Bandol appellation, but over a ridge that lies in a cooler zone, so they don’t have Mourvedre here, instead they have about Syrah 32%, Grenache 27%, Carignan 24%, Cinsault 8%, Clairette and Vermentino 9% planted for this Rosé Cotes de Provence, as well as having an experimental plot of Cabernet Franc and some Portuguese varietals. One of the friendliest Rosé Cotes de Provence available, the Corail shows bright fruitiness with crisp detail and is very elegant and refreshing delivering strawberry, pink citrus, sour cherry, rosewater, watermelon and saliva inducing saline, mineral and wild herbs, picking up a wet stone note as well with time in the glass. This light pink and salmon hued Rosé is a delightful Cotes d’Azur and Mistral influenced wine is great with sea food and its dry briskness, while full of flavor is a great value.
The certified organic Château de Roquefort is all natural fermented with native yeasts with all the different varieties being co-fermented after direct pressing, with the grapes being partially de-stemmed. Some varieties go through a cold maceration for 8 to 24 hours before being pressed, to extract the pretty color and adds to the structured feel that gives the balance in this fine Rosé. At just 12.5% natural alcohol this wine has substance and texture, but lots of lift and vibrant character. This winery offers a ton of quality for the price, and this wine, which of course is best with warm Summer days, still has a lot to offer year round, I enjoy Rosé anytime of year and so should you, especially on a sunny weekend with a picnic or as a aperitif before a family meal. The pairing that suits me is matching this wine with mussels in spicy broth and or classic Mediterranean sea food stew. This 2018 Château de Roquefort, Corail, Rosé Cotes de Provence, which is also labeled vegan, is fabulous vintage, one of best versions I’ve tasted so far and is drinking beautifully now and should last another year without any fall off, making it a bargain to stock up on.
($19 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive