Notify me
2020 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine
Inspired by Corsican Vermentinu, which is grown on poor soils and limestone escarpments similar to those at Clos Sainte Magdeleine, Jonathan Sack planted a parcel of this variety in the lieu-dit “Baume-Noire,” a terraced vineyard named for the mysterious natural grottos hidden on the Cap Canaille. He vinifies and ages the wine in sandstone amphorae, providing a delicate harmony while conserving the wine’s expression of dry, stony terroir. Its electric energy—with a higher acidity and less creaminess than the domaine’s Cassis blanc—gives the Baume-Noire serious zip and zest. This wine is completely rockin’ right now.
—Emily Spillmann
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Vermentino |
Appellation: | I.G.P. Bouches-du-Rhône |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Clos Sainte Magdeleine |
Vineyard: | 1.1 ha, 5 years |
Soil: | Limestone |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region

2023 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
France | Provence
Peach-scented Bandol rosé is the bee’s knees on a warm summer afternoon.

2022 Bandol Rouge “La Tourtine”
France | Provence
There are few pleasures like aged Bandol rouge from Tempier.

2022 Bandol Rouge “La Migoua”
France | Provence
At the domaine's highest-elevation site, Mourvèdre's might is gently enveloped by Grenache and Cinsault to yield a Bandol of great finesse.

2022 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
France | Provence
This gorgeous blend of Vermentino, Ugni Blanc, Sémillon, and Clairette is both fleshy and mineral-driven.

2023 Bandol Blanc
France | Provence
From the iconic Domaine Tempier, this mineral white wine smells like the Mediterranean.

2022 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
France | Provence
With a touch of creaminess following the crisp stone fruit, it’s a Mediterranean white in a cashmere sweater.

2022 Cassis Blanc
France | Provence
A blend of Ugni blanc, Claudette, Marsanne, and Sauvignon blanc, here is the wine to enhance seafood and shellfish.

2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
France | Provence
A gorgeous perfume of honeysuckle meets the nose, and the wine is at once both lush and nervy, comforting and stimulating.

2022 Côtes de Provence Rosé
France | Provence
This rosé is a result of respectful farming and low-intervention winemaking, our dream combo.

2023 Cassis Blanc
France | Provence
May Chevalier ~ A blend of Ugni blanc, Claudette, Marsanne, and Sauvignon blanc, here is the wine to enhance seafood and shellfish.
About The Producer
Clos Sainte Magdeleine
About The Region
Provence
There is perhaps no region more closely aligned with the history of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant than Provence. While Kermit began his career as a Burgundy specialist, he soon fell in love with Provence and its wines, notably the legendary Bandols of Domaine Tempier, which he began importing in 1977. He later began living in the area part-time, returning frequently between tasting trips, and today he spends most of his time at his home just outside of Bandol.
Provence is thought to be France’s most ancient wine region, established when Greek settlers landed in the modern-day port city of Marseille in the 6th century BC. The conditions here are ideal for cultivation of the grapevine, with a hot, dry climate and a prevalence of poor, rocky soils, primarily limestone-based, suitable for vines and not much else. The ever-present southern sunshine as well as the mistral, a cold, drying wind from the northwest that helps keep the vines free of disease, are crucial elements of Provençal terroir. Wild herbs from the pervasive scrubland, called garrigue, and cooling saline breezes from the Mediterranean also contribute to the quality and character of wines in all three colors.
Provence is well known for its rosés, but red wines have always held importance here. The very best, such as those from Bandol, possess great depth and a capacity for long-term aging. The white wines, notably those of Cassis, offer weight balanced by a maritime freshness, making them ideal pairings for the local seafood. Mourvèdre reigns king for red grapes, supported mainly by Grenache and Cinsault, while Clairette, Marsanne, Rolle, and Ugni Blanc are the region’s principal white grapes.
More from Provence or France
2022 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2022 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2023 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rouge “La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Clairette”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
Les Baux de Provence Olive Oil “Les Baux”
Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2023 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2022 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2023 Bandol Rosé HALF BOTTLE
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rouge “La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Clairette”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
Les Baux de Provence Olive Oil “Les Baux”
Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge
“La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2023 Bandol Rosé
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
Where the newsletter started

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