Medium straw-pink color; wisps of strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, white flowers on the nose; strawberries, watermelon, pink grapefruit, minerality on the palate.
Dry; blend of 50% grenache, 25% cinsault, 25% syrah; excellent acidity (3.4 pH); wonderfully light, delicate, fruity, and fun. Château de Berne’s soil has high proportion of sand, which give its rosé zesty notes. The Château de Berne website notes: “Nestled in the hills of Provence, vines have been grown on the Château grounds since Roman times. Situated on the Aurelian Way, a Roman road formerly linking Italy and Spain, the vineyard was also a trading post for wines. Sheltered by acres of pine forests and lavender fields and enjoying over 3000 hours of sunshine a year, our grapes enjoy the cooler Provence nights which slows their ripening and helps produce this perfect range of Provencal rosés.”
Château de Berne origins date back to 200 BC when it was stop on Via Aurelia Roman road that linked Italy and Spain. In the 11th century, the Count of Toulouse donated the estate to St. Bernard. The monks nurtured the soil. The estate was extensively rebuilt in the 18th century by the Estellon family. It was further restored in 1960 and then again in 1985 when 79 acres of vines were replanted. Since 2007 the estate has been owned by a British businessman; the website does not name him.
Château de Berne Emotion Côtes de Provence 2017 is lovely textbook expression of Provence rosé and comes in a striking bottle—Provence is famous for both rosé wines and strikingly distinctive bottles. This very versatile wine that can pair with light salads and light pasta dishes; raw and lightly cooked shellfish; grilled fish. $16-18
