Wines

Marsanne is the dominant grape variety (50%) complemented by Clairette Blanc (35%) and some Ugni Blanc (15%). The vineyards to produce the white wine at Bagnol cover a bit less than six hectares and are planted on a gentle slope of clay and limestone soil with a north–northwest exposure. After a manual harvest, the grapes are destemmed and pressed; the fermentation continues for three weeks in cement cuves at a temperature controlled 18 degrees Celsius; the wine is vinified completely dry. The malolactic fermentation is blocked to preserve the freshness of the wine and the wine is bottled between May and July of the following year.

From old vines in the most well-regarded sector of the appellation—on the breeze-buffeted slopes immediately under the limestone promontory of La Couronne—the Genovesis craft the “Caganis” (“last-born” in old Provençal). As with their flagship white wine, Marsanne and Clairette dominate here, but the blend is fleshed out by Ugni Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc and Pascal Blanc. Fermented and aged entirely in steel, the “Caganis” is both ample and profoundly mineral, with notes of marzipan and waxy orchard fruit complementing the brighter citrusy tones. Its minerality is awe-inspiring: simultaneously smoky, crystalline and intensely persistent, particularly on the wine’s long, tunneling finish. Aging seaside white wines is perhaps not a common practice, but Sébastien notes that the “Caganis” will improve for at least a decade in the cellar, which is easy to understand given its remarkable concentration and tension.

No estate expresses the salt-kissed limestone-driven terroir of the idyllic Provençal seaside village of Cassis like Domaine du Bagnol, and the current generation, Sébastien Genovesi, crafts a rosé of scintillating energy, chiseled calcareous musculature, and gleaming red fruits. Comprising 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre, Bagnol’s Cassis Rosé is pressed directly and rapidly (in under two hours) to extract as little color as possible, and the bottled wine (certified organic) contains only 20 milligrams per liter of total sulfur—a factor which contributes to its gorgeous purity of texture and intense evocation of limestone soil.

80% Mourvèdre and 20% Grenache, the Cassis Rouge recalls Bandol—just 19 miles to the east—but its personality is friendlier, its fruits redder and crunchier, its tannins a charged caress rather than harsh. Still, it is an amply concentrated wine, full of dusty spice and with a vivacious sappiness that speaks of its low-yielding 50-year-old vines. There is something very pure and pretty at its core, a joyousness that underlines its kinship with their Blanc and the Rosé. In producing this beauty, Sébastien Genovesi destems the grapes and employs a lengthy maceration with daily pigeage and remontage; afterwards, the wine is raised in used demi-muid. With bottle age it will develop a savory swagger as its Mourvèdre-driven fruits develop umami.