Château Saint-Pierre Cuvée Tradition Blanc

Jun 21
2 min read

Château Sainte-Pierre Cuvée Tradition Blanc IGP 2023 12.5% ck

Rolle, Clairette, Ugni Blanc

The majority of this blend is made from Rolle. Never heard of it? That’s not surprising as not many people have. More people have heard of Vermentino though and it’s the same grape but grown in France instead of Italy. Vermentino is native to Sardinia and the Italians have in essence banned the French from using the same word so they have to stick with Rolle. One French producer has made a 100% Rolle wine and called it ‘Un Verre de Mentino’. The grape itself is an aromatic variety with flavours of grapefruit and citrus and a somewhat oily texture. To complement this the winemakers have added Clairette which is a hardy variety suited to hot climates and gives lots of fresh juice with floral aromas. Last to the party is Ugni Blanc which brings a touch of much needed acidity and balanced the whole wine.

Provence

Provence is most famous for it’s pale coloured rosé. Mostly because people go there on holiday, enjoy the wine in the sunshine and want to recreate the experience when they get home. The climate here is hot and dry which is perfect for ripening grapes but can lead to a lack of acidity if the right grapes are not used. AOP Côte de Provence is probably the best quality rosé but the region also has AOP Bandol which makes some stunning sweet reds as well as rosés with more body and colour than the rest of the region.

Not just Rosés!

Provence is so well known for it’s rosé wines that people tend to overlook it’s reds and it’s whites which has the effect of making them quite good value and a little off the beaten track. The start of this wine is the Vermentino which gives a lot of the character. The wines is fermented and aged in stainless steel so as not to dilute the fresh aromas with any oaky flavours.

Classic Provencial Dishes

Made for seafood, sunshine vegetables and anything kissed with lemon and herbs. The Méditerranéan Fish Soup, Bouillabaisse, would be a good match as the wine’s saline freshness, citrus lift and herbal notes match the fish, fennel and saffron beautifully — and it’s crisp enough to cut through the broth without overpowering it.