Lot presentation

Côtes de Provence Corail Château de Roquefort 2023

The wine

The Corail cuvée is produced in this magnificent natural limestone amphitheatre, situated at an altitude of 400 metres. This is a fruity, fresh and eminently drinkable wine which blends hand-picked Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan and Rolle. It has an intense salmon-pink colour, delivering red fruits, citrus and peach on the nose and a surprisingly persistent finish. It is suitable for drinking either as an aperitif or alongside simple, delicately flavoured dishes such as fish.

About the Producer Château de Roquefort

In the Greek-Celtic period, Roquefort was a rear-guard fortification for the nearby towns of Cassis and Marseille. When it was requisitioned by the Romans it was renamed “Rocca Fortis” and later, “Roquefort”. It was passed between the Crown of Provence to the bishops of Marseille and eventually, in 1812, it was bought by the Earl of Gardanne, an army officer and ancestor to the de Villeneuve de Flayosc family who are the estate’s present owners. The average age of the vines in this 24 ha of vineyard is forty years and it features many traditional Provencal varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault for the reds and Clairette, Rolle and Ugni for the whites. The strength of this domaine lies in its unique microclimate: the tides breathe life into the vineyard and its altitude brings cool nights, meaning grapes ripen slowly and Roquefort wines consequently retain a remarkable aromatic complexity. Raimond de Villeneuve is the current head of the domaine, which is now converted to organic viticulture (ECOCERT certified) and soils are worked without chemical additions. Many cuvées have been produced as a result of the experiments made by this domaine with their unique blends, even if that means bearing the sub-category classifications of VDP or IGP.

Detailed characteristics