(Irving Berlin)

If you go where fashion sits in Europe, whether it’s the Ritz or the Hôtel Martinez La Palme d’Or in Cannes, you’re apt to find a Domaine Gavoty Rosé featured on their restaurants’ cartes des vins. That’s because the Domaine Gavoty counts among its clients many of the finest hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. Domaine Gavoty makes great, very serious and sophisticated Rosé!

Like Diogenes looking for an honest man, we have been searching diligently for the quintessential Provençal Rosé for more than twenty-five years. I must confess that it has been a most rewarding and thirst-quenching hunt. We have found many, many fine Rosés, (several of which we will be featuring over the next few weeks) in the bistros and sidewalk cafés of southern France.  But, we couldn’t rest till we found a truly great one; or two as it turns out.

As is often the case, our old mentor Christian Esparza of St-Rémy-de-Province wine emporium note was the one to point us towards the holy grail of Rosés. “Look near the town of Cabasse in the Central Var and visit Domaines de Campdumy. There you will find that which you seek.” So off we went and that is how we found Roselyne Gavoty and her marvellous Rosés.

Domaine Gavoty

Philémon Gavoty purchased the Domaines de Campdumy (Campdumy means ‘fields of the wine harvest’ in Provençal) in 1806. Eight successive generations of Gavotys have managed the estate since then. In 1960 André Gavoty handed over part of the estate to his nephew

Pierre, who along with Bernard Gavoty managed the two fifty hectare properties known as Petit and Grand Campdumy. The two were real visionaries and worked tirelessly to promote and expand the Côtes de Provence appellation. The property was reduced to less than fifty hectares in 1997 with the sale of Bernard’s land. Pierre’s daughter Roselyne took over winemaking duties in 1985 and full responsibility for the domaine in 2001, ably assisted by her husband Hervé.

Roselyne Gavoty – eighth generation vintner

The Gavoty land is quite miserable, some would argue nasty and gnarly – clay, limestone and rocks. Some parts can’t even be ploughed! Wild boars delight in traipsing among the vines. And then to add to the vines’ misery, the weather goes through extremes – winter nights fall to minus ten degrees Celsius and can stay that way for many weeks. Summer days reach plus forty, but dip mercifully to the mid teens during the nights. It is perfect for torturing the vines and    coercing them into producing fruit of great complexity, fine acidity and depth of character.

Roselyne et moi at ViniSud 2012

Then you have the vineyard management and winemaking expertise that only comes from the collected experience of eight generations of artisan vignerons. The result – some of the finest Rosé in the world.  

The Domaine Gavoty Rosés on Offer

We are delighted to offer you two stellar 2011 (a wonderful vintage in the Var) Côtes de Provence A.O.C. Rosés from Domaine Gavoty – the very good Cuvée Tradition Rosé and the sublime Cuvée Clarendon Rosé. And, to make the choice even easier, Roselyne has created the Domaine Gavoty Rosé Sampler – three delicious bottles of each of the above. They come in six-bottle cases and will be here well before summer. But, as great as these will be out on the patio or dock, they are really meant to be consumed with fine food. We will be taking your orders to the LCBO on Friday, March 23^rd.