There's a slightly herbal top note on this wine's bouquet, which otherwise offers scents of red cherry and melon flesh. The medium-weight palate is slightly bitter in feel, with astringent citrus pith flavors that carry through to the finish.\n \n Producer Information\n Michel Laroche was one of the pioneers in the resurgence of quality winemaking in the south of France in the early 1980s. In 1996, he created Mas La Chevalière, a state-of-the-art winery on the grounds of a splendid 18th-century guesthouse, with the goal of producing wines that truly reflect the diversity of the Southern French varietals, climate and terroir. The Mediterranean climate guarantees ample sunshine, however, the winery strives to find the coolest terroirs for each grape variety, making it necessary to adjust the orientation and altitude of the vineyards to allow for optimal maturity and fullest expression of varietal flavors. The 45 hectares (111 acres) of vineyards are comprised of cooler, high-altitude sites for whites and hillside terraces for reds. The wines are classified Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) because irrigation is used to avoid heat stress (and thus, hard, bitter characteristics in the wines) in the southerly, sunny climate. The diversity of the soil, climates and grape varieties afford an exceptional range of white and rosé wines, all light and fresh, and red wines that are rich, balanced and well structured. Mas La Chevalière is currently undergoing active conversion to organic viticulture. It is a strong conviction of the Laroche team that all efforts in the vineyards should be perpetuated in the winery. Mas La Chevalière is considered a reference point in the region for the quality of the winemaking equipment in the state-of-the-art winery, which is designed specifically for organic winemaking. All processes in the facility allow for the complete expression of each grape variety and each vineyard site. All varietals and vineyard parcels are vinified separately in one of 42 temperature-controlled tanks of various sizes. The conversion to screwcap closures for the majority of Mas La Chevalière wines took place in 2004.
