On June 11 we celebrate the Feast of Sainte Roseline de Villeneuve and what better way to celebrate her than with a toast of wine from her home estate! 

Back in January Michael Brunelle and I were in Boston for a tasting of Bordeaux, the release of the 2015 vintage.  One of the attendees asked if she could come by the store a few days later and show us a few more wines.  One set of wines was a few Rosé from Chateau Ste. Roseline.  I was blown away by two of the wines and we planned to add them to our selection shortly after the meeting.   The wines arrived a few weeks ago and we began selling them, the initial response has been great.  We have plenty of Rosé on offer, but what sets the wines of Chateau Ste. Roseline above the others?   Thanks to the quality and reputation of its terroir, but also to its expertise, its wines, and a dynamic and visionary approach, the estate was awarded the appellation “Cru Classé” as early as 1955, only 18 wineries carry that designation, these are the elite estates of the Cotes de Provence.  Just 15miles from the Mediterranean the ocean air has considerable influence and also growing vines in the magnificent limestone soils gives the wines here a tremendous acidity.  The vineyards are naturally farmed to preserve the fauna and flora, ensuring healthy land.   

I found the story of the history of the winery interesting as well:
Sainte Roseline was the daughter of the Marquis de Villeneuve, Lord of Les Arcs.  She was instilled with generosity. During a famine due to a harsh winter, she secretly drained the family storeroom to help the less fortunate of Arcs. Legend has it that when her father caught her in the act, the food miraculously became an armful of bright roses!   

Chateau Ste Roseline “Cru Classé” Cotes de Provence Rosé 2017 – EXTREMELY LIMITED
This upscale cuvée is produced in limited quantities. It is made from a selection of the best lots of the Chateau.  Very pale pink, I found it loaded with citrus fruit flavors and a delicious spicy zip to it.  The dominating character to me was the texture, the wine is round, salty, and spicy.  Tremendous food wine that I think will be best when dinner is ratatouille from fresh local veggies.   

Le Cloitre de Chateau Ste Roseline “Cru Classé” Cotes de Provence Rosé 2017A very admirable “little sister,” Le Cloitre has a similar spiciness and salty quality to the Chateau bottling, but with a bit more bright peach and tropical fruit.  A joy to drink now this with any seafood dishes