🇳🇱 ⤏ 🇬🇧 Met een klein team, waaronder rosé specialist Elizabeth Gabay MW, proefde Julia Scavo* enkele mousserende rosé’s uit de Provence. Wat is de ‘Provencal Method’, wat zijn de krachten en zwakheden van de wijnen in deze categorie. En… hoe smaken ze?
🇬🇧Very instructive tasting with the Rosé specialist Elizabeth Gabay MW. Assessing a selection of sparkling rosés from Provence. As Bruno remembers the first attempts for a certification came in the mid ‘90 with fabulous 1996 vintage, when he took part into tastings. Then by 2008 serious projects were established. Alain Combard from Domaine Figuière was the forefather of the movement and Atmosphère speaks by itself.
Provençal method
Many tastings were engaged ever since, together with the CIVP, the “Centre du recherche du Rosé” from Vidauban and results forwarded to the OIV. By 2016 it was about certifying the so called « Provençal Method » – using freezed must to referment the wine in the bottle, so that alcohol does not get to high, yeasts being quickly killed by the pressure meanwhile adding the fruit missing from an earlier harvest that preserves acidity. Few news since last year’s panels. Here are some quick tasting notes. ‘Atmosphere’ is by far the most Provence like and it uses what should be a Provençal method. No attempt here to write an article, which might be the case in the future.
Some conclusions
Some conclusions of our panel including Elizabeth Gabay MW, her son Benjamin, my husband and Head Sommelier Bruno Scavo, oenologist Julie Bertolotti, and Sophie Cossy, champagne producer:
- Producers should tempt to use Provençal method rather than “Traditionnelle” or other methods to standardize the production in view of homologation
- A search for acidity, pristine fruit and less phenolics would serve the product
- The product should be more ambitious than only focusing on service in the estate´s wedding rooms or just selling it to local clients
- Producers who want to make sparklings should develop their own facilities for this purpose, for better control of the production chain
- Standardizing labels : the word rosé should appear on the label, choice of the colour code should go beyond easy pink, protection for light strike should be the rule and the duration of lees maturing imposed too, but not extended to a long period
- …many, many things could also go into the conclusions section… until then, enjoy
1 ) ‘Perles de Marie’ Château Vaudois
40% Rolle, 40% GN, 20% Syrah
18 months on lees, no precise information about the method, first fermentation in vat.
Medium gold. Developing nose, peach, mirabelle plum, petrol, oily. Dosage is present, off- dry, bubbles are medium and creamy, acidity is diminished, alcohol is medium with medium plus feeling, phenolics, slightly bitter on the finish, as the wine breathes it gets almonds, quince, again mirabelle, that oily touch of the Rolle on warm terroir which should be the case with the schists of Roquebrun-sur-Argens.
2) ‘Instant eternal’ Mas de Cadenet
45% Grenache, 45% Cinsault, 10% Syrah
12 months on lees using what would become one day « Méthode Provençale »
Coral/ orange coral of a medium intensity. Nose is intense, showing bruised strawberry, dried tomato, not very inviting, personally speaking. Off-dry, bubbles are tonic, with medium minus acidity, tannic, tannic finish especially that is a bit tight.
3) ‘Carpe diem’
35% Cinsault, 55% GN, Syrah 10%
should be closer to a Traditional method.
Medium salmon, nose has a clean and intense fruit, however evanescent. Brut with dry structure, creamy bubbles, it has a medium acidity and medium alcohol, light phenolics, finish has some bitter touch, zest, and grapefruit. Medium finish.
4) ‘Atmosphère’ 2017 Domaine Figuière
Cinsault/ Grenache
second fermentation using freezed must as for the supposed « Méthode Provençale »
Colour is pale melon, nose is clean with intense pineapple, yoghourt, wild strawberry, a might thiolic hint. Dry, fine bubbles, medium acidity, fresh, zesty with pineapple flavours, light bitter touch, still pleasant, alcohol is moderate, no phenolics, the closest to a Provence pink.
5) Domaine des Planes 100% Carignan
Traditional method
Medium pink. Nose is clean, red fruit, red currant, meaty, reductive in a savoury way. The palate is dry, acidity is medium plus, bubbles are fine, tiny, with silky texture, fresh, tannins are medium minus, red currant, savoury finish, it really taste like a bubbling Carignan!
*Julia Scavo is geboren in Roemenië, maar nu al heel wat jaren woonachtig in Frankrijk. “What I like most about the profession is sharing experience and knowledge”. En dat doet top-sommelier en Master of Port Julia Scavo DipWSET ook op deze website. Lees hier alle artikelen van Julia
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