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Domaine de la Navicelle, Côtes de Provence Rosé “À Flot”

Provence, France 2018 (750mL)
$22.00
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Domaine de la Navicelle, Côtes de Provence Rosé “À Flot”

I’m on record as being a committed, year-round rosé drinker. In fact, as I write this, I’m stockpiling a few bottles of today’s wine for my Thanksgiving dinner, which is just around the corner. Not only will it be the most versatile, food-friendly wine on the table, it’s likely to be entering its true sweet spot now that it’s had some time for its flavors to integrate.
The wine industry has developed a pernicious habit of pouncing on the newest-release rosés the moment they arrive in the Spring, then drinking them all immediately, before they get a chance to develop a little complexity and intrigue—like we’re seeing in today’s deliciously well-priced 2018 from Domaine de la Navicelle. Not only do I see this wine pairing well with turkey and all the trimmings, I envision it next to all sorts of things I might encounter on my table in the coming months. It might be some thinly sliced prosciutto sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Or maybe some Dungeness crab with cocktail sauce (in fact, a lot of great winter seafood is about to become available). Maybe it’s a spicy chicken or fish curry. Believe me, I could go on: If you love to eat, you need to have good rosé on hand at all times (P.S.: I don’t stop drinking white wine in the Winter, either). Navicelle’s ’18 is perfectly priced, perfectly Provençal, and ready for a spot at your holiday (or everyday) table.
It isn’t any old cookie-cutter Provençal rosé, either. The La Navicelle estate is located in Le Pradet, hard by the Mediterranean Sea and just five minutes down the road from Clos Cibonne, makers of some of the most distinctive rosés in Provence. Like Clos Cibonne, Navicelle farms some Tibouren (a.k.a. Rossese) grapes for use in this wine, which is nevertheless driven by Cinsault (70%) and Grenache (20%). Proprietor Jannick Utard, originally from Alsace, took over the property in 2006 and has achieved Demeter Biodynamic certification for his 21 hectares of vineyards, which sit in a south-facing, amphitheater-like bowl in classic, rust-colored Provençal soils of clay and limestone.

The biodynamically farmed, hand-harvested fruit for the “À Flot” (“afloat”) bottling is fermented in stainless steel and aged six months in a mix of stainless and concrete vats. From the get-go, there’s no doubting something Provençal is in your glass, as the color is a textbook onion-skin pink. Citrusy aromas of pink grapefruit and blood orange mingle with nectarine, lavender, melon rind, rose petals and subtle spice. It has good freshness but a well-rounded texture, perhaps thanks to a little time in bottle allowing some flesh to develop. Serve it at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose white or red stems with yet another seasonal dish it will sing with: smoked salmon. Whether you make it yourself or buy it from a gourmet grocery, it’s tailor-made for pairing with this rosé. Sunday brunch awaits! Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Provence
Sub-Region
FranceCôtes de Provence
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Farming
Certified Biodynamic
Blend
Cinsault 70%, Grenache 20%, Tibouren 10%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
None
TEMP.
45-50
Glassware
All-Purpose
Drinking
Now-2022
Pairing
Smoked Salmon

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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