The Coteaux Varois en Provennce are a new addition to our rosé roundup this summer. The vineyards of AOP Coteaux Varois en Provence are located in the heart of what is known as “calcareous Provence », in other words where the soil is chalky. In its basins and narrow valleys, wine production is strictly limited to 28 communes grouped around the medieval town of Brignoles, the former summer home of the Counts of Provence and today capital of Green Provence. Enter the Bastide de Blacailloux wine estate where since 1917 and for over three generations the Chamoin family has been cultivating the good earth at the foot of the Sainte-Baume mountain range in the highlands of the Var. Vineyards, the wilder shores of nature and olive trees all come together for a feeling that is unique. As are the estate’s wines which benefit from a continental climate, for the grapevines here grow at an altitude of 1100 feet (350 meters). Winters are cold, summers are torrid. 

The house’s Joio Rosé 2025, a Coteaux Varois en Provence, Appellation d’Origine Protegée (AOP), or Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), is delicate but filled with body, thanks to its high percentage (70%) of the Grenache grape variety complemented by 30% of Syrah which adds its typical notes of candied berries to this lively and versatile wine. The geology of the region, too, contributes to its singular quality, robust long- lasting yet crisp which is also evident in its color: the pink of a  crisp pink rose petal. The iron-rich limestone and clay soils that alternate with zones of fine gravel and flint are part of the equation as well. And here, too, on the lands of the estate is the inimitable garrigue or the wild woodlands and scrublands of Provence. The vineyards of Bastide de Blacailloux wine estate are cultivated without pesticides, labeled organic and HEV (High Environemental Value), like the majority of the wines of the Coteaux Varois wines. The estate’s Joio Rosé 2025, is a celebration of exotic fruits with vibrant citrus fruits gloriously lurking in the background. 

While it is a rosé that can clearly sit squarely on the lunch or dinner table, think  slow cooked lamb Provençal or lobster salad here, it is an excellent aperitif wine albeit an aperitif with some filling foods. We opted for a regional classic: olives. Hearty green olives stuffed with anchovies and black olive tapenade served on cake-like brioche bread to offer up a sweet and savoury touch for this briny wine. Cheers!  ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette https://blacailloux.fr/en/