Description
Mas de Valériole, “Grand Mar” Rosé
It’s worth consulting a map to pinpoint exactly where Mas de Valériole is located: about 10 miles south of Arles, not far from the broad expanse of the Rhône River delta. Vineyards rooted in sandy soils eventually give way to a series of lakes and marshes as the Rhône meets up with the Mediterranean; on the label of today’s wine you’ll see it carries a “Bouches du Rhône” (“mouth of the Rhône”) IGP designation, along with a shout-out to the “Terre de Carmargue.” Once you’ve established where it’s from, then there’s a unique grape variety to consider: Caladoc, a crossing of Malbec and Grenache used widely in the area. Both the spice and backbone of the former and the generous cherry/strawberry fruit of the latter are in evidence in “Grand Mar,” along with an unmistakable taste of the nearby sea.
It is a classic salmon-pink in the glass and loaded with ripe fruit, but there’s also that salty, herbal twang that places it so firmly in Provence. Aromas of wild strawberry, blood orange, and red delicious apple skin merge with more-savory notes of sea salt, wet stones, dusty earth, and scrub-brush. It is medium-bodied, racy, and likely to be even better in its “second spring” (i.e. next year) if you manage to stay away from any of your bottles for that long.
