Cassis isn’t just the French word for blackcurrant, it’s also a wine growing village in Provence. The Cassis appellation was the first Provençal AOC to be recognized, in 1936. Long before the AOC was established,... Read More

Cassis isn’t just the French word for blackcurrant, it’s also a wine growing village in Provence. The Cassis appellation was the first Provençal AOC to be recognized, in 1936. Long before the AOC was established, though, grapes were grown and wine was made here. When Greek sailors arrived in Marseille around 600 BCE, viticulture was already an important, thriving part of society.

It’s kind of the perfect place to make wine: This part of France receives an astonishing 2800 hours of sunlight per year (roughly 22 more sunny days than we receive here in NYC). The effects of the mistral — the strong and cold wind that blows from southern France into the northern Mediterranean — are mitigated by the many hills and cliffs in the region, which stop the wind in its tracks.

Domaine du Bagnol is one of just 10 or so wineries in this idyllic hamlet. Just 200 meters from the Mediterranean, on limestone-rich soils, Bagnol organically farms Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault. These grapes, which are able to attain perfect ripeness, are full of all the terroir's charms: sunny fruit, windswept freshness, electric limestone structure and a salty, oceanic minerality.

A great Cassis (and Bagnol is a great Cassis) is the kind of rosé you want to drink on vacation, that falls somewhere between the easy-going charm of a Côtes de Provence and a denser, age-worthy Bandol. Pristine fruit (a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre) is direct pressed, and quickly — this briefest of skin contact, just 2 hours, lends the beautifully pale pink color of Bagnol’s delicate, yet intense, rosé. The minerality that comes from Cassis’ limestone soils seems to intensify the salinity of the nearby Mediterranean.