Browse Tag

les baux de provence

Rolland in dough

Mme. Rolland “Mas Sainte Berthe” 2006 Les Baux de Provence “Passe-Rose” (Provence) – Potpourri (as stenchy as it is pretty), tangerine, greengage plum. Burns more than it pleases. The more Provençal rosé I have, the more I wish I was drinking pink from elsewhere. The alcohol is just too much, too often. (9/09)

TN: Uno mas

[bottle & glass]Cartier “mas de gourgonnier” 2005 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence Blanc (Provence) – Golden fields of grass in a long-remembered countryside, with grandma and grandpa at the front door offering you a glass of lemonade and a warm hug. Rural, golden-tinged raisin and almond oil with lightening acidity and a fresh, smiling, friendly appeal that goes far beyond its organoleptic qualities (which are not inconsiderable). Soul-embracing wine. Not “great.” But perfectly good. (1/07)

Cartier “mas de gourgonnier” 2004 Les Baux de Provence Rouge (Provence) – Flat, somewhat beaten-down berry dust with a wooly, powdery texture. This wine struggles, but fails to break free, and while it appears large-shouldered at first sniff, it turns out to be rather a wuss in the glass. Flaw-free, but disappointing. (1/07)

Beaming

Château d’Estoublon 2001 Les Baux de Provence (Provence) – Very advanced for its age, with somewhat baked red fruit, earth-toned spice box aromas and a structure that’s starting to fray at the seams.

Les Baux de Provence is known for its beauty and for the Michelin-starred restaurant L’ Oustaù de Baumanière. What it’s not very well known for are its wines. And that’s an odd thing to say, considering that a very well-known wine indeed – Domaine de Trévallon – is produced within the appellation’s borders. The problem with Trévallon is that it exceeds the legal limit for cabernet sauvignon (a debatable limitation on the region’s wines), yet again relegating an appellation’s best producer to vin de pays status. When will the French learn? 30% grenache, 30% syrah, 30% mourvèdre, 10% cabernet sauvignon. Importer: Ruby Wines. Organic. Web: http://www.estoublon.com/ Alcohol: 13.5%.