Bathed in southern sunshine during the day, softened by the cool pre-Alps air at night, Domaine de Marie lovingly produces beautiful, three-color, AOP wines. Wines of character, light and fruity, to be enjoyed for a summer, or more complex and structured, to be savored over the years. Including rosé. Like N°1, to be slipped onto high-flying tables.

Whether it's destined for a colorful summer table or a gourmet meal, Domaine de Marie rosé is made from the same blend of Grenache Noir and Cinsault. Depending on the vintage, cellar master Arnaud Bressy, who has overseen the estate since its creation in 2000, adds (or not) a little Clairette, a white grape variety that brings freshness and acidity.

‍

‍

Cellar Secrets

The difference between Cuvée Marie and N°1? "The ageing process and its duration," confides the cellar master. On the Marie rosé side, traditional ageing takes place over three to six months at most. "It's a short ageing process, in stainless steel vats. Bottling is fairly rapid, to preserve the fruit and retain maximum freshness. cuvée N°1 is aged for one year. First in stainless steel vats for six months, then in ovoid concrete vats for a further five months, with ageing on lees. "Once fermentation is complete, i.e. once the sugar has transformed into alcohol, all the yeast falls to the bottom of the vat, forming the lees. This aromatically rich layer adds fatness, volume and complexity to the wine, including its texture. After all, rosé is not just an ephemeral wine that accompanies the song of the cicadas. It is capable of expressing all the flavors and richness of the Luberon terroir" and, one is tempted to add, of this estate cultivated according to the rules of the art. An estate cultivated with common sense, between organic and biodynamic farming. For here, the hand of man is as discreet as possible, and his interventions carefully considered, in harmony with nature and its cycles. In fact, for the past 20 years, the soil has been worked exclusively mechanically, without the use of chemical weedkillers.

‍

‍

Between Lightness and Complexity

On the palate? Lightness, finesse and freshness for Rosé Marie, with notes of red fruit, fresh gourmet fruit and saline notes. Tropical white fruits, redcurrant notes and minerality for Cuvée N°1, whose complexity and length on the palate vibrate in unison with the refined, inspired cuisine of chef François Martin, who orchestrates the table at Bastide de Marie. This is all the more true given that the chef and cellar master create a cuisine inspired by the terroir of the vineyards, not just during the harvest season. Of course, wine-lovers can taste the estate's wines in the cellar, but also with their noses in the sun, between the vines. A pleasure to be savored with the palate and the eyes, Domaine de Marie stretches over 30 hectares between olive trees, lavender and truffle oaks. Here, under a gentian-blue sky, twelve grape varieties are passionately cultivated using the "raisonné" method, producing 80,000 to 90,000 bottles (including 30,000 rosé bottles) depending on the year: vermentino, syrah, mourvèdre, roussanne... and, since this year, cabernet-sauvignon. All these colors are available in Cuvée Marie and Cuvée N°1, each with its own specific ageing process. Ovoid concrete vats for the white, oak vats and barrels and handmade terracotta jars for the red. And let's not forget Cuvée LE, a red vin de garde for the best years, of which there are many here.