2018 Clos Ste. Magdeleine Cassis Rose

2018 Clos Ste. Magdeleine Cassis Rose

2018 Clos Ste. Magdeleine Cassis Rose This sun-kissed rosé wine from Cassis is savory, satisfying and marked by notes of tart red fruit, citrus rind, and salty sea air. A true Provencal classic. Drink this now, lay it down, or do both.

Clos Sainte Magdeleine

The ancient fishing village of Cassis has seen its fair share of visitors over the millennia. Greek sailors from Phocaea established the nearby colony of Massalia (modern-day Marseille) in the sixth century BC, bringing their viticultural savvy to the region and planting what are thought to be Provence’s first vineyards. The Romans later made their way here, establishing Cassis as an important fishing and commercial port while further developing the wine trade. Local wines earned an excellent reputation over the centuries, especially a sweet Muscat said to be among the Mediterranean’s finest.

In 1865, phylloxera struck, effectively destroying Provence’s vineyards; when Cassis was replanted in the subsequent years, Muscat was left out in favor of Ugni Blanc, Clairette, and other grapes selected for production of dry whites. In 1936, Cassis gained the distinction of being named among France’s first official AOCs, in the elite company of Tavel and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Rosé

A rosé (from French, rosé [ʁoze]) is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. The pink color can range from a pale “”onion-skin”” orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grape varieties used and winemaking techniques. Usually, the wine is labelled rosé in French, Portuguese, and English-speaking countries, rosado in Spanish, or rosato in Italian.

There are three major ways to produce rosé wine: skin contact, saignée, and blending. Rosé wines can be made still, semi-sparkling or sparkling and with a wide range of sweetness levels from highly dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandels and blushes. Rosé wines are made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe.