The stylish charming town of St Tropez is a hot spot for the rich and famous, as well as locals and visitors, but take a walk or a drive outside the city walls and you will discover a haven of vineyards, nature and unspoilt countryside with glorious views towards the Mediterranean.
This is wine country and renowned for producing some excellent Provence rosé wines and local red and white wines. Several vineyards are well kept secrets, local long established families have been producing rose wines for generations, toasted and enjoyed in the local region, distributed across France, but not exported to the UK.
Josh Buckley at H. Barnes & Co has been staying in St Tropez for many years and has become quite a connoisseur of these local wines, and one of his secret favourites is Les Cannissons Rosé 2015. Buckley explains: “The Domaine des Campaux vineyard produces about 120,000 bottles of this wine every year, 95% are sold around St Tropez, mostly to restaurants and cavists. The rest is sold in Paris and Brussels but not in London…yet.”
About the Vineyard
The Domaine des Campaux is situated in the heart of a valley, inside a small mountain range very near St Tropez on the Riviera. Owned since 1954 by the Naveaus, this family estate’s vineyard comprises 32 hectares of south facing vines, growing on schist.
The Production Process
The family has adopted practices of integrated viticulture to protect their ‘terroir’. The grapes are exclusively picked by night to preserve their freshness, after being pressed, they are carefully decanted before a long low-temperature fermentation (17°C). The cuvee “Les Cannissons” rosé comes from a blending of grenache (55%), cinsault (28%), syrah (5%), carignan (7%) and mourvedre (5%).
Les Cannissons wine producer, Clement Brun explains: “This wine is an expression of our terroir because, at every vintage, all the plots enter in the composition of this rosé, so its style is more complex and can be recognised every year.”
How to drink and enjoy Les Cannissons Rose 2015
Josh Buckley advises on how to drink Les Cannissons Rosé 2015, “I recommend opening the bottle a little before the tasting and immediately putting the cork back on it (so the wine takes a breath); serve it at around 10-12°C (not at the fridge temperature, 6°C is too cold). This is unusual, but this particular wine is not affected by oxygen, it’ will improve during the tasting and during the year.”
Tasting Notes
- Cuvee Les Cannissons Rose 2015
- Côtes de Provence
- Pale robe, bright and clear, slightly orange.
- Delicate aromas of white fruits (pear, lychee) that elegantly bonds with citrus fruits and flowers.
- Its first palate is fresh and perfumed, then this rosé develops a smooth balance between mineral freshness and sweet body. Dynamism and crispiness are gently softened by its dry sweetness.
- Drink in 2016, from the aperitif to the dessert.
