Wines

Rolle (Vermentino) thrives in the Triassic limestone soils of Domaine Gavoty, and Roselyn produces versions that underline the variety’s inherent salinity and textural richness. Vinified and aged in a combination of cement and steel, the “Grand Classique” Blanc possesses a mouthwatering sense of pulpiness, evocative of Rolle’s thick skins, but it also comes across as nimble and bright (malolactic fermentation is blocked via temperature), and its long, commanding finish reveals the wine’s firm sense of architecture.

Like its rosé counterpart, the “Clarendon” Blanc is produced from Gavoty’s oldest vines—in this case, Rolle planted in 1981. While no heavier than their “Grand Classique” cuvée, this is both more blatant in its minerality and more multilayered, with fruits verging on the exotic corseted by a palpable sense of appetizing bitterness. Vinified and raised in cement and steel, “Clarendon” Blanc relies on the quality of its fruit rather than any trompe l’oeil of élevage to express its underlying complexity. This is a wine that will blossom in the cellar, and it stands as one of the greatest white wines from Provence we have encountered.

Twenty of Gavoty’s fifty hectares of vines are classified as Vin de Pays du Var, as they are situated on flatter land than the slopes used for their Côtes de Provence cuvées. Built around roughly equal proportions of Grenache and Cinsault, with a small amount of Carignan and a splash of Syrah, “La Cigale” (named for the ubiquitous cicadas that populate the region) is charmingly juicy yet salty and dry, with nice length for a wine of its modest appellation. Furthermore, its adamantly non-confected flavor profile sets it apart from the vast majority of similarly priced Provence rosés.

Roselyn’s grandfather Bernard Gavoty (1906-1980) was a renowned classical music critic for France’s newspaper Le Figaro, and the name of this cuvée pays homage to the importance of music in the family’s history. Comprising equal parts Grenache and Syrah, plus around 10% Carignan, and produced via direct pressing, “Récital” delivers the ethereal color, lip-smacking salinity, and bright fruits one expects from the appellation, but with a sumptuousness of texture and a swelling, clinging finish that is all Gavoty. It offers spectacular value, as well as notable personality for its category.

“Grand Classique” combines Grenache and Cinsault in roughly equal proportions, with Carignan playing a minor role. Rather than being pressed immediately after harvest by rote as many Provence rosés are, Roselyn Gavoty macerates for several hours before pressing, and the saignée and first-press juice are vinified separately, allowing her the flexibility to blend the more succulent and tender saignée with the more angular and architectural press-juice in a manner to achieve the precise textural qualities she seeks. “Grand Classique” displays an uncanny equilibrium, with racy acidity wed to gleaming fruits that are just the right amount of vinous, all buttressed by an elegant, mouthwatering texture that speaks to Roselyn’s consummate blending skills.

Bernard Gavoty, in his articles for Le Figaro, often wrote under the curious Anglophone pseudonym Clarendon, and this cuvée—produced from the domaine’s oldest Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan vines (dating back to the early 1960s)—honors his memory. The rosé combines a touch of saignée with the juice from the first pressing, striking a wonderful balance between vinosity and brisk drinkability. Both nose and palate are multilayered and beguiling, and although the fruit is brightly kinetic, there is a sense of regal richness to this cuvée that has nothing to do with weight. “Clarendon” sits easily alongside the Bandol from Château Pradeaux or the Palette from Château Simone as a rosé that is more than flattered by a bit of bottle age.