Côtes de Provence Blanc, Ultimate Provence 2023
James Suckling 91
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Why this wine
Almost all the white wine in Côtes de Provence is Rolle, and this is a clean, unoaked expression of it from a single plot below the estate's Cinsault hillsides. Night harvesting and a cool ferment keep the citrus sharp, while a short spell on the lees adds just enough texture to carry it through a meal. It is the useful Mediterranean white to keep in the fridge door.
At a glance
- Grape
- Vermentino
- Region
- Provence, France
- Alcohol
- 12.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Drink now (1-3 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Seafood, Salads, Poultry & Pork
How it tastes
Zesty lime leads, with ripe pear and apple behind it and an undertow of white pepper and ginger spice. Dry and refreshing, medium in weight, with bright acidity and a clean finish. Vermentino 100%.
The producer
Ultimate Provence sits near St-Tropez in the heart of the largest nature reserve in France, an estate that puts a working vineyard alongside a modern winery and a lifestyle address, with Alexis Cornu as resident winemaker. The vines were first planted in the mid-20th century by the Perrono family and the property is now owned by Château de Berne; the shallow soils lie over an impervious sandstone slab, and the Rolle, as Vermentino is known here, grows on a plot slightly below the Cinsault hillsides, a variety the estate values for its citrus and pear character. Grapes are harvested at night by machine and the rows are ploughed with horses. The fruit was gently pressed and fermented at around 16-18°C in stainless steel, with a short ageing on the lees before final blending and bottling. The 2023 season in Côtes de Provence brought warm sunny days and cool nights, and dry conditions throughout gave ripe, healthy grapes with concentrated flavours and balanced acidity.
Food and drinking
Serve at 8-10°C. It works with grilled sea bass, prawns with garlic and chilli, a salade niçoise or roast chicken with lemon. Drink over the next one to three years; no decanting needed. Sealed with a Nomacorc closure. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.