Notify me
The Quintessential Provençal Refresher
The Quintessential Provençal Refresher
by Anthony Lynch by Anthony Lynch
2021 Côtes de Provence Rosé
2021 Côtes de Provence Rosé
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image-6176-medium.jpg)
![, © Clos Sainte Magdeleine - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image_alt-6176-medium.jpg)
Le Liouquet, La Ciotat
![, © Joanie Bonfiglio - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image_alt_3-6176-medium.jpg)
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence | Côtes de Provence
Blanc has always been the focus since we began importing Clos Sainte Magdeleine’s wines in the late 1970s, with their fennel- and sea-salt-inflected Cassis setting the standard for Mediterranean whites. But vigneron Jonathan Sack also bottles a Cassis rosé each year, a delicate expression of mainly Grenache and Cinsault that is, sadly, made in tiny quantities.
As of recently, there is a brand new rosé in the Clos Sainte Magdeleine lineup. The Côtes de Provence is sourced from a vineyard in La Ciotat, about halfway between Cassis and Bandol and not far from the Mediterranean coast. Using a similar blend to the Cassis rosé, Sack has crafted what is perhaps the quintessential Provençal refresher—an uplifting nectar of bright citrus, fresh berry fruit, wild herbs, and salty sea air—that is a far cry from the countless technological, mass-marketed examples in production throughout the region.
No, Sack’s bears a distinct sense of place, and it's someplace we all want to be: under the sun, by the sea, glass in hand, a bowl of briny olives within reach. Monsieur, a refill, s’il vous plaît!
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image-6176-medium.jpg)
![, © Clos Sainte Magdeleine - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image_alt-6176-medium.jpg)
Le Liouquet, La Ciotat
![, © Joanie Bonfiglio - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image_alt_3-6176-medium.jpg)
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2021 |
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% |
More from this Producer or Region
![2023 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume <em>Rouge</em> “Terre d’Ombre” Domaine de Terrebrune](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Vin-de-Pays-du-Mont-Caume-emRougeem-Terre-dOmbre-product-image-9523-medium.jpg)
2023 Vin de Pays du Mont Caume Rouge “Terre d’Ombre”
France | Provence
A vivid purple color, it is akin to fresh-pressed wild berries and perfumed hints of flowers and pepper, without the dense, grippy tannin characteristic of a true Bandol made from older vines.
![2021 Cassis <i>Blanc</i> “Bel-Arme” Clos Ste Magdeleine](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Cassis-iBlanci-Bel-Arme-product-image-7985-medium.jpg)
2021 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 Alpilles <i>Rouge</i> “Grenache” Domaine Hauvette](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Alpilles-iRougei-Grenache-product-image-8845-medium.jpg)
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
France | Provence
A thoroughbred of pure Grenache, this unbridled rouge is fresh and lithe, teeming with juicy dark fruit and ample goût de terroir.
![2023 Cassis <i>Blanc</i> Clos Sainte Magdeleine](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Cassis-iBlanci-product-image-9531-medium.jpg)
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.
![2022 Bouches-du-Rhône <em>Blanc</em> “Baume Noire” Clos Sainte Magdeleine](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Bouches-du-Rhne-emBlancem-Baume-Noire-product-image-8132-medium.jpg)
2022 Bouches-du-Rhône Blanc “Baume Noire”
France | Provence
It is a seafood lover’s dream wine.
![2023 Côtes de Provence Rosé Clos Sainte Magdeleine](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Ctes-de-Provence-Ros-product-image-9533-medium.jpg)
2023 Côtes de Provence Rosé
France | Provence
The quintessential Provençal refresher—a nectar of bright citrus, fresh berry fruit, wild herbs, and salty sea air.
![2016 Alpilles <em>Blanc</em> “Dolia” Domaine Hauvette](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2016-Alpilles-emBlancem-Dolia-product-image-6914-medium.jpg)
2016 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
France | Provence
Biodynamically farmed Roussanne, Clairette, and Marsanne from rocky limestone in Van Gogh's Provence.
![2020 Bandol <i>Rouge</i> “Saint Ferréol” Domaine de la Tour du Bon](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2020-Bandol-iRougei-Saint-Ferrol-product-image-7906-medium.jpg)
2020 Bandol Rouge “Saint Ferréol”
France | Provence
Soulful and slightly wild, but beautifully balanced, this rouge has an irresistible notes of garrigue.
![2022 Alpilles <i>Blanc</i> “Jaspe” Domaine Hauvette](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Alpilles-iBlanci-Jaspe-product-image-8495-medium.jpg)
2022 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.
![2023 Méditerranée <i>Blanc</i> Clos Sainte Magdeleine](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Mditerrane-iBlanci-product-image-9534-medium.jpg)
2023 Méditerranée Blanc
France | Provence
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.
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 Bandol Blanc
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2023 Cassis Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge MAGNUM
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
2021 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Bandol Blanc
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Rouge “Grenache”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2021 Bandol Rouge “Lulu et Lucien”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2020 Bandol Rouge
“La Tourtine”
Domaine Tempier France | Provence
2023 Cassis Blanc
Clos Sainte Magdeleine France | Provence
2022 Alpilles Blanc “Jaspe”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge MAGNUM
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2021 Alpes-Maritimes Grassenc “Les Planches de Lunel”
Clos Saint-Joseph France | Provence
2017 Alpilles Blanc “Dolia”
Domaine Hauvette France | Provence
2018 Bandol Rouge
Domaine de Terrebrune France | Provence
2022 Bandol Rosé
Domaine du Gros ’Noré France | Provence
2021 Cassis Blanc “Bel-Arme”
Clos Ste Magdeleine France | Provence
Kermit once said...
![Kermit Lynch](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-Kermit-once-said-image_img_1-13427-medium.jpeg)
Kermit once said...
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.