Fine French Rosé

The Sumeire family are ‘Provençal Royalty’ tracing their origins in Trets, Provence, back to 1238. When they started making rosé is unclear but it was at least 200 years ago and they have been honing their skills ever since and are now producing rosé of the highest quality. They are not film stars or mavericks – just a delightful and charming family with a long history of producing very good rosés, all of which are great value for money.

The dream started about 30 years ago when the late Peter Sichel, one of Bordeaux’s legends, found a remote vineyard high up in the Corbières mountains literally miles from anywhere in the most beautiful surroundings and with a unique stony terroir. It is also where the Albigensian Crusaders made martyrs out of the Cathars in the 13th century.

Today, Peter’s grandson Alexander Sichel lives there and makes the wines following biodynamic viticultural and vinification principles to the letter. Les Jardiniers comes from the heartland of the huge Corbières region, but Alexander and the Sichel family have decided to recognise and embrace their regional terroir, and high-altitude vineyards (the wine is now under the appellation of Cucugnan, rather than Corbières) which much better reflects the philosophy of the family and the quality of their wines from this tiny, almost inaccessible corner of the region.

Mas de Cadenet represents over 200 years of Provençal winemaking and is an estate that has since become an emblem in the Côtes-de-Provence. Located at the foot of Mont Saint-Victoire, south-facing vineyards of Grenache, Syrah, Rolle (Vermentino), Cinsault and Cabernet are organically farmed for an optimum expression of minerality and terroir. Mas de Cadenet’s are wines of great appeal, displaying the classic floral, citrus, spice and summer fruit characteristics that are typical of this much-adored region.