Over an impressive career spanning nearly forty years, Dominique Hauvette has established herself among the elite ranks of Provence’s most respected wine producers. Despite her many accomplishments, she continues to evolve in pursuit of achieving ever greater balance and finesse in her wines crafted from the stark landscape of the Alpilles, a rugged mass of limestone that dominates the pastel horizon northeast of Arles. Jaspe, her Roussanne bottling, perfectly illustrates the trailblazing style she has mastered, capturing the grape’s voluptuous aromatics and lush textures with vibrant nerve and subtle herbal, bitter tension. It pairs exceptionally with grilled fish, garlicky dips, and the first summer vegetables.

Picture deep purple Mourvèdre grapes baking under the hot Mediterranean sun, cooled by a lazy breeze that’s rustled its way from the seaside through fragrant pine forest. La Tour du Bon’s 2023 Bandol rouge vividly captures the feeling of summer in Provence, from the intensity of the midday light to the freshness contained within the dusty, chalky soil and the briny pungency of black olive and squid ink. Here is a wine with enough class that it can button up for a formal dinner if need be, but it has a pleasantly rustic side that lets it truly thrive at a backyard barbecue with friends.

Clos Saint-Joseph, a twelve-acre domaine tucked deep in the Maritime Alps of southeast France, is all about startling contrasts. The vineyards sit just inland of the Côte d’Azur, but you could easily mistake the area for Savoie for its imposing mountaintops and abundant exposed limestone. The blend features southern grapes like Syrah and Mourvèdre, yet they express delicate notes of potpourri and black pepper more typically found in fine Burgundy. It stands so isolated from other Provençal vineyards that it almost feels as though the domaine’s wines were lumped under the Côtes de Provence label by default. Low alcohol, bright acidity, and silky-smooth tannins make this rouge a wonderful exception—one that defies labels altogether.