Prestige Rosé 2020

Prestige comes primarily from two Minuty estate vineyards, the first the original estate vineyard in Saint-Tropez, and the second an outstanding estate an hour north called Chateau Verez that they purchased several years ago.

The Saint-Tropez vineyard lies a half mile from the ocean and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The quality of this location has always been evident, as the estate was one of the original 18 classified growths in Provence. The vineyard is heavily influenced by the marine proximity, with the afternoon winds bringing dryness and cool air. The mica schist soils contribute a notable minerality and are oriented to the southwest, allowing for full ripeness throughout the property.

The Chateau Verez property is located in the hills of Vidauban, in the heart of the Massif des Maures. The vines average 25 years of age, and there is a continental rather than maritime influence in this area. The Matton family knew the property well because their family owned the neighboring estate for well over a hundred years.

In addition to the trademark Grenache, which the family have been pioneers in the region for emphasizing, Prestige has an important proportion of Tibouren, a local grape with distinct powerful structure and saline flavors. Other grapes grown for Prestige typically include Cinsault and Syrah.

Finally, the Minuty family is proud of their strong commitment to sustainable viticulture. They quickly achieved the French government’s High Environmental Value certification for the estate’s biodiversity, farm management to limit inputs, and broader commitment to limiting environmental impact. All their vineyards have long been grown without the use of chemicals.

As with all Minuty wines, fruit is handpicked. Just as important, they time the picking with their pressing, so that when the grapes are picked and brought over to the winery, they immediately go to the press, protected by carbonic gas. Grapes are chilled, and as for 281 and Rose et Or, they only take the free run juice, around 65-70% of the total volume. Alcoholic fermentation is at cool temperature and lasts around 3 weeks. There is no malolactic fermentation. Selection and blending are done around the end of November.

The 2020 vintage saw a particularly warm winter causing an early growing season. Frost in March has impacted the overall production, but the consequent natural low yields have resulted in great concentration of the berries producing wines with exceptionally rich aromas. The frost contributed also in slowing down the growing cycle allowing moderate sugar concentration and lower alcohol (around 12.5%) while harvesting at full phenolic ripeness. The result is one of the best vintages in recent years, expressive and marked by a delightful freshness, signature of Minuty rosés.

Pale with pomelo highlights. The nose is precise and delicate with notes of flowers and melon. In the mouth, the wine is powerful and well balanced, with notes of citrus and red fruits. It is the most structured and expressive of all the Minuty wines. The whole is underlined by a pleasant minerality.