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A Quintessential Provençal Rosé
A Quintessential Provençal Rosé
A Sale Selection from Guide to Southern French Blends A Sale Selection from Guide to Southern French Blends
2020 Côtes de Provence Rosé
2020 Côtes de Provence Rosé


Le Liouquet, La Ciotat

Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s vines in Cassis
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence | Côtes de Provence
Use promo code SOUTH20 to take 20% OFF this and other wines in Guide to Southern French Blends Collection, now through July 3rd!
You’ve likely heard about the “earthly paradise” in Cassis that is Clos Sainte Magdeleine. You may even know the story of how, on his way from Barcelona to Salzburg in 1969, Kermit serendipitously stopped in this Provençal port village—before importing wine had crossed his mind—and fell for the local dry white wine made here.
We have now worked with Clos Sainte Magdeleine for almost forty years, and while they have always represented the pinnacle of Cassis’ wine traditions, their whites and rosés have continued to improve steadily through conversion to organic viticulture, experimentation with biodynamics, and increasingly rigorous practices in the cellar. They have also refused to rest on their laurels by continuing to push the envelope in other ways, namely through new cuvées, such as this exquisite, terroir-driven Côtes de Provence rosé.
Winemaker Jonathan Sack’s father has called Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s wine “Provençal sunshine in a glass,” but this rosé has real depth in addition to its sunny charm. It’s a terroir-driven wine that evokes the very earth of Provence. As if the grapes were infused with that salty sea air and wild sagebrush, there are hints of each, along with crisp lemony nuances and a whole lot of those ripe little strawberries for sale at roadside markets.


Le Liouquet, La Ciotat

Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s vines in Cassis
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 35% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah |
Appellation: | Côtes de Provence |
Country: | France |
Region: | Provence |
Producer: | Clos Sainte Magdeleine |
Winemaker: | Jonathan Sack |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1979-1999 (30 years average), 4.5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Use promo code SOUTH20 to take 20% OFF this and other wines in Guide to Southern French Blends Collection, now through July 3rd!
More from this Producer or Region

2024 Bandol Rosé
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2024 Cassis Blanc
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2022 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
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A single barrel was produced of this delicate, peppery, low-alcohol red from a forgotten grape variety. Serve chilled.

2024 Méditerranée Blanc
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A 50/50 assemblage of Ugni Blanc and Vermentino, the two varieties meld together to create a white that breaks the mold entirely for what we’ve come to expect from this magical stretch of Provençal coastline.

2023 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
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With a touch of creaminess following the crisp stone fruit, it’s a Mediterranean white in a cashmere sweater.

2023 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
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It is a seafood lover’s dream wine.

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It is a seafood lover’s dream wine.

2020 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
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With this chewy, fragrant cuvée, something garlicky cooked over coals will do just fine.

2016 Bandol Rouge
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Enjoy it as Jim Harrison might have—with copious quantities of crushed garlic and red meat.

2021 Bandol Rouge“La Tourtine”
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There are few pleasures like aged Bandol rouge from Tempier.
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
2020 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2024 Bandol Rosé
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2024 Bandol Blanc
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2018 Bandol Rouge MAGNUM
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2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
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2022 Bandol Rouge “La Migoua”
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2022 Bandol Rouge
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2024 Alpilles Rouge “Cinsault”
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2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
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2022 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
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Les Baux de Provence Olive Oil “Les Baux”
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2020 Bandol Rouge
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2024 Bandol Rosé
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2024 Bandol Blanc
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2018 Bandol Rouge MAGNUM
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rouge “La Migoua”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de la Tour du Bon France | Provence
2024 Alpilles Rouge “Cinsault”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2023 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2022 Côtes de Provence “Blanc de Blancs”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
Les Baux de Provence Olive Oil “Les Baux”
Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille | Provence
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.