Crush: Provence

Provence: The Classic Heart of Rosé

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:41:45 -0500

As France's oldest wine region, Provence has been making wine - and specifically rosé - for 2,600 years. Around 600 BC, the ancient Greeks rolled into southern France with vines in tow. At the time, all wines were rosé, as they hadn't yet experimented with extended macerations for deeper red wines from black grapes.

By the time the Romans came (and named the area Provincia Romana), the area had a reputation across the Mediterranean for outstanding rosés.

In the Middle Ages, the local abbeys made rosé wine as a revenue source for monasteries, and as time crept into the 14th century, nobility and military leaders took over vineyard management, and rosé became the classic wine of kings and aristocrats.

In the 20th century, increased tourism along the Cote d'Azur increased rosé production and its reputation, and today modern techniques and inspired winemakers have improved the character and quality of Provence’s rosés.

2005 Commanderie de Peyrassol Rosé

Fri, 19 May 2006 16:12:11 -0500

We are proud to announce that the winner of the Crush War of the Rosés (by total number of customer votes) is from an estate that shares our beliefs that good wine begins with good soil and that great wine is a magnification of terroir. Luckily, they also understand that simply owning good land is not enough, but an incredible amount of work is required to coax truly outstanding results out of the earth.

2004 Jules Rosé

Thu, 18 May 2006 16:09:23 -0500

he story of Jules begins in the late '80s when Hugh and Jane Faulkner fell in love with the region and the wines of the Grand Cros estate. After some debate, the Canadian couple purchased the 60 acre Domaine. Founded in the 17th century, Le Grand Cros has a long and storied tradition of winemaking. Raymond Guido, Grand Cros winemaker for 30 years, was a key contributor to the estate's history. Raymond continued to make the wine until 2000 when he retired, and Julian, the Faulkners' son, assumed the winemaking duties.

Bagnol Cassis Rose: Unheralded Elegance from Provence!

Wed, 17 May 2006 14:12:06 -0500

As you know, we go to lengths to find details on the wines and winemakers that we are in love with. However, we have less information on today's rosé from Domaine du Bagnol than any wine to date, despite a lengthy search. Why? The appellation of Cassis is tiny, with only 13 winemakers covering a miniscule 182 hectares, only 1/3rd of which is used for rosé. (points of reference: the average vineyard area for individual first growth Bordeaux chateaux is 90+ hectares and Central Park is 341 hectares!!!).

Stunning Purity in Provence

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 20:34:24 -0500

Sometimes Grenache-based wines can be a touch hot for me, but recently I fell in love with the Domaine d'Eole which just coasted over my palate with absolutely no heat. Balanced out by Counoise and Syrah, the d'Eole is a decidedly pure Provencal wine that shows gushing fruit and tons of herbal garrigue notes on the nose. On the palate, the fruit is just gorgeous, brimming with black currants and morello cherries.