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2020 Côtes de Provence Rosé

Clos Saint-Joseph
Discount Eligible $42.00
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Bingo! Upon first tasting this rosé, crafted in the Alpine portion of eastern Provence, Kermit felt he had hit the jackpot. Beyond the fantastic terroir here—the crumbly limestone of these breathtaking mountains rears its head with each sip—this rosé is a result of respectful farming and low-intervention winemaking, our dream combo. Not many rosés can claim to be made using natural yeasts, with malolactic allowed to go through unhindered. The result is a gentle, yet mouth-watering rosé that presents delicate fruit and a stony, salty finish. Unparalleled!

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: Rosé
Vintage: 2020
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: 40% Grenache, 35% Mourvèdre, 15% Barbaroux, 5% Rolle, 5% varied
Appellation: Côtes de Provence
Country: France
Region: Provence
Producer: Clos Saint-Joseph
Winemaker: Roch Sassi
Vineyard: .5 ha, vines 5 and 90 years old
Soil: Clay, limestone
Farming: Biodynamic (practicing)
Alcohol: 12.5%

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About The Region

Provence

map of 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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Where the newsletter started

Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch

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