We aim to have all wines be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock and you note you would like that particular vintage, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
About This Wine
Clients who go way back with us will remember Guffens’ deliciously quirky multi-vintage blend, Au Fil du Temps. Finally, it is back on the menu, now with a new name and label. For those new to this wine, it works something like a perpetual blend (as opposed to a true solera), whereby the mother base is refreshed each year with new vintage wines, while a similar percentage is bottled off to order. The idea behind the blend is quite matter of fact. Guffens simply felt he could produce—from a palette of vintages—an inexpensive bistro white that would taste greater than the sum of its parts. It’s made up from his pressings and young vines and other parcels that Guffens doesn’t know what to do with.
Marsanne-based, with decreasing amounts of Roussanne, Viognier, Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon, the juice is stored in 200-hl variable capacity tanks, on lees, so the wine stays fresh and develops slowly. This, alongside the different varietal proportions added each year, means that there is a degree of vintage variation with each new bottling. The aged material brings complexity and texture, and the young wine brings freshness and verve. It really works. This particular bottling is based around the 2018 vintage, hence the name—moyenne means ‘the average’.
Type | White Wine |
---|---|
Varietal(s) | Roussanne Viognier Chardonnay Semillon Sauvignon Blanc |
Country | France |
Region | Provence |
Brand | Chateau des Tourettes |
Vintage | NV |
Wines from Provence
In the South East of France, Provence can be considered the rosé capital of the world. Rosé from here is dry, refreshing, savoury and pale pink with a slight orange tint. The style is very different to those generally made in Australia.
The largest appellation here is Côtes de Provence, which accounts for nearly 75% of the total production of the Provence region and with rosé production making up 80% of that. The main grape varieties used include Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Tibouren with an increase in the adoption of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah in recent times.
The most prestigious appellation is Bandol. The vines in Bandol are planted on silicon and limestone soils which together with the warm, coastal climate is very suitable for the late ripening of the Mourvèdre grape. Wines coming out of Bandol must contain more than 50% Mourvèdre in the blend whether they are roses or reds. Reds from Bandol are just as noteworthy as their rosé counterparts. These wines are known to be powerful, spicy, structured, and age-worthy with critics such as Tom Stevenson considering these full flavoured reds to be some of the region’s best wines.