Where It Grows:
Located in the western reaches of sprawling Provence, Baux de Provence is a trove for high-quality red wine. Mas de Gourgonnier’s organic vines lie just south of the granitic-based Alpilles mountains, enjoy thousands of hours of sun each year, and largely avoid rot, mildew, and other humidity challenges due to the fierce, cool-blowing “Mistral” wind.

How It's Made:
For their flagship Baux de Provence Rouge theCartiers hand harvest, partially de-stem, and naturally ferment their Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Carignan in stainless steel tanks. The resulting wine is then gently transferred into old French barrels for maturation without any sulfur additions. Following, the wine is bottled without any fining, filtration, and very minimal sulfur.

What It Tastes Like:
After a 15-30-minute decant, it pours a vibrant ruby and wastes no time expressing ultra-pure notes of ripe raspberry, black cherry, plum skin, redcurrant, garrigue, olive pit, dried sage, violet oil, crushed rose petal, cracked pepper, and a touch of exotic spice. Medium-bodied and wonderfully crunchy on the palate, it shows incredible energy and jaw-dropping clarity that puts extra pep in your step.

Who Made It:
The Cartier family has been entrenched in farming for centuries, dating well back into the 1700s when they cultivated produce for the local abbey. It was this simple way of life, devoid of chemicals and machinery, that was passed down from generation to generation until they finally decided to plant vines in the 1950s. When they became Certified Organic in 1975, they were among the very first in all of Provence.