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2018 Alpilles Rouge “Amethyste”
Domaine Hauvette

Amethyste is Dominique’s ode to Cinsault, a wonderful grape that gives a fresh, low-alcohol wine and is increasingly in vogue down south. Buoyant and juicy like great Beaujolais, with a Provençal flair and the touch of a masterful winemaker, this southern beauty is France’s best example of pure Cinsault.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 60% Cinsault, 30% Carignan, 10% Grenache |
Appellation: | Alpilles |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Domaine Hauvette |
Winemaker: | Dominique Hauvette |
Vineyard: | 40 years average, 2 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Wine is raised in cement eggs |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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About The Producer
Domaine Hauvette
Not far from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a tourist town known for Roman ruins and as the place where Van Gogh painted “The Starry Night,” you’ll find Domaine Hauvette. Nestled among the foothills of Les Alpilles, the vines are surrounded by a rocky and wild landscape—the clay and limestone soil retains moisture for the arid summer months, the Mistral blows half the year, and <em>garrigue</em> is seemingly everywhere. It is here that in the early 1980s Dominique Hauvette, seeking more sunshine, left her job as a lawyer in the Savoie, re-discovered her passion for raising horses, and began studying oenology. Thirty-some years later and Dominique now has 17 hectares of vines and an international reputation for making benchmark natural wines.
About The Region
Provence
Perhaps there is no region more closely aligned with the history to Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant than Provence. Provence is where Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters, lived, and introduced Kermit to the great producers of Provence, most importantly Domaine Tempier of Bandol. Kermit also spends upwards of half his year at his home in a small town just outside of Bandol.
Vitis vinifera first arrived in France via Provence, landing in the modern day port city of Marseille in the 6th century BC. The influence of terroir on Provençal wines goes well beyond soil types. The herbs from the pervasive scrubland, often referred to as garrigue, as well as the mistral—a cold, drying wind from the northwest that helps keep the vines free of disease—play a significant role in the final quality of the grapes. Two more elements—the seemingly ever-present sun and cooling saline breezes from the Mediterranean—lend their hand in creating a long growing season that result in grapes that are ripe but with good acidity.
Rosé is arguably the most well known type of wine from Provence, but the red wines, particularly from Bandol, possess a great depth of character and ability to age. The white wines of Cassis and Bandol offer complexity and ideal pairings for the sea-influenced cuisine. Mourvèdre reigns king for red grapes, and similar to the Languedoc and Rhône, Grenache, Cinsault, Marsanne, Clairette, Rolle, Ugni Blanc among many other grape varieties are planted.
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2015 Les Baux de Provence Rouge “Cornaline”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
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2021 Les Baux de Provence Rosé “Petra”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2021 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2021 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
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2019 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236