Côtes de Provence, Rosé 'Aumérade Style'

The Château de l'Aumérade is a 400-year old estate located in in the heart of Provence. Originally belonging to the Aumerat family, the traditional Mas property dates back to the Renaissance period. In 1594, the Duke of Sully, Henry VI's finance minister, presented the Château with a Mulberry tree and Plane trees for their luxurious gardens, as a gift for supplying the Royal Court. In 1930, a young Henri Fabre and his wife Charlotte, fell in love with the Château de l'Aumérade, with its 300 hectares of estate vineyards and purchased it from the Aumerat family. The Château was designated as a Cru Classé when the Provence appellation was created in 1955, a system classifying the wine estate rather than the vineyard area. It is one of only 18 that still remain in the designation. The Château has been handed down though the family and is currently run by Caroline Demey.

Château Aumerade holds the Haute Valeur Environmentale (HVE) certification, which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management. Located just a few miles from the coast, the vines receive cooling ventilation from the salty Mistral winds blowing in from the sea. The vineyard soils are predominantly clay limestone, which help to impart a spicy mineral character to the final wine. The harvest takes place at the beginning of September when the grapes have reached good phenolic maturity.

The grapes were carefully sorted and immediately destemmed. The Fabre family introduced an innovative way to transport the berries to the press by gravity, via refrigerated tubes which helps to preserve the aromatics in the fruit. The berries were gently pressed and the juice was cooled to 13°C. Following static settling, fermentation took place at controlled temperatures of 17 to 22°C in stainless steel tanks, to retain the purity of flavour. Fermentation lasted for 10 days, then racking and blending took place at the end of the year.

Tasting Notes

Pale salmon in colour, this is the quintessential Provence rosé. A refreshingly fruity bouquet leads to delicate white spice and mineral flavours on the palate and an elegant finish.

Region

France