Discovering the ‘micro crus’ of Provence plus 12 wines to seek out

The fame of Provence rosés has encouraged an image of simplicity and approachability for all of the region’s wines, but work on regional expression is an on-going project.

Under the Vins de Provence umbrella sit the three appellations;

• Coteaux-Varois-en-Provence,
• Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence,
• Côtes de Provence.

The latter is the largest and includes five, virtually unknown, sub-regions, known as Dénominations Géographiques Complémentaires, (DGC) or, more commonly, Dénominations de Terroir, created to help focus on the diversity of the region.

Scroll down for Elizabeth Gabay MW’s notes and scores on a dozen Provence ‘micro cru’ wines

These DGC – labelled as Côtes de Provence plus the DGC – each of which took around 10 years to achieve official status by the INAO, include:

• Sainte-Victoire, in the far west of the appellation, in the relatively high altitude limestone Arc valley, nestled beneath the imposing Mont Sainte-Victoire (Mas de Cadenet, Domaine de Saint Ser, Château Coussin);
• La Londe, roughly halfway along the coast between Bandol and Saint-Tropez, exclusively on the first schistous foothills of the Maures mountains (Château Léoube, Château Malherbe, Château Les Mesclances); and three lining the east-west central valley (or Permian depression), mostly along the Argens river.
• Pierrefeu, closest to Toulon and the coast (Château La Gordonne, Les Vignerons de Gonfaron);
• Fréjus, which includes the d’Esclans valley and the volcanic rhyolite foothills of the Estérel (Château Paquette, Château de Rouët); and the newest addition,
• Notre-Dame-des-Anges in the centre, furthest from the sea and the most continental of the sub-regions (Domaine Fouquette) with more full-bodied wines.

There have been extensive talks locally about elevating the two best (Sainte-Victoire and La Londe) to a formal ‘cru’ status, yet nothing has happened so far.

A step up

In blind tastings, the wines are consistently a cut above generic appellation wines. As well as requiring a relatively strict parcel-by-selection, they also have lower maximum yields (50hl/ha rather than 55hl/ha), do not allow any carbon filtering of the rosés, and the reds of Pierrefeu and Fréjus must be aged for one month longer than generic Côtes de Provence (to 1st November rather than 1st October).

Each DGC has a different combination of permissible grape varieties. Both rosé and red wines can be made under all five denominations, with the recent inclusion of whites in La Londe. The other four are in the long process of including whites too, as this category is rising in popularity.

While DGC wines usually command higher prices, and the quality is usually better, typicity in the glass varies from strongly characterful to indistinguishable from generic Côtes de Provence. The best embrace regional character.

Differences in terroir

Sainte-Victoire is a cooler area with relatively high altitude, between 250m and 400m, protected from maritime influences by the Massif de la Sainte-Baume. Expect rosés from Sainte-Victoire to have a characteristic round, creamy-but-vibrant acidity, while the reds (usually Syrah) are fresh and generally austere.

La Londe is hotter, with vineyards both on the schistous slopes of the Massif des Maures, the sandier coastal plain and the micro terroirs of the island of Porqueyrolle. It was once more famous for ripe reds, but today it is more notable for fresh, crisp, zesty, unoaked whites made from Rolle that eschew the weighty gravitas of their inland peers. The rosés in particular stand out for the keen minerality granted by their schistous soils and ripe fruit from a consistently warm meso-climate.

Pierrefeu, leading down to the coast, is famous for its almond orchards and figs and has a milder, maritime climate resulting in fairly ripe, fruity wines.

Notre-Dame-des-Anges, the newest DCG and the hottest region, (it was badly burnt in the fires of summer 2022), has yet to find its own distinct style, while Fréjus, the most easterly region of Côtes de Provence, is made in such minute volumes (although currently growing in popularity) that it is difficult to differentiate producer individuality compared with the style of terroir, although the volcanic soils seem to give greater ageing potential. These particular rosés are unique as they do not allow the inclusion of white varieties in the blend, and the local Tibouren grape must be used.

How useful are they?

Cursed by Provence rosés’ simplistic appeal, many producers feel that consumers do not want to be overwhelmed by complex information on geographic origin, and choose not to use the DGC qualification.

For example Château d’Esclans, perhaps Provence’s most internationally famous estate nowadays, is entirely within the Fréjus area, but does not include the essential variety Tibouren and is therefore labelled as a generic Côtes de Provence. Of the 500ha of vineyards eligible for the sub-region, only 11ha declare it. Estates with Cru Classé status also chose not to also include a DCG qualification.

New sub-regions have also been discussed, although progress is slow. Areas to look out for are the high-altitude, red soil vineyards of Dracénie, the furthest north in Côtes de Provence, and the Saint-Tropez peninsula.

Elizabeth Gabay MW’s top 12 ‘micro cru’ wines from Provence

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