# Cuvée Othello Rosé (2023)

- **Producer:** Domaine Grande Bastide
- **Colour:** rosé
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache, Merlot, Syrah
- **Region:** Provence, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €16
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** redcurrant, raspberry, strawberry, peach, grapefruit, lemon

## About this wine

Domaine Grande Bastide, located in Tourrettes in the Var department of Provence, France, is a 50-hectare estate owned by Swedish entrepreneur Lennart Perlhagen since 1999. The estate has undergone significant modernization, including a gravity-fed cellar and extensive vineyard replanting, with historical quality oversight from winemaker Lars Torstensson. The Cuvée Othello Rosé is produced under the IGP Var or IGP Méditerranée classification. The vineyards benefit from a high-altitude location cooled by mountain and Mediterranean winds, which helps preserve acidity and grape integrity. The estate focuses on producing high-quality, fresh rosé wines.

## Interesting facts

- The 2023 vintage features a significant 35% Merlot, unusual for Provence rosé, adding a luscious texture.
- Vineyards are situated at a high altitude, benefiting from cooling mountain and Mediterranean winds.
- The estate was modernized by Swedish entrepreneur Lennart Perlhagen, who acquired it in 1999.
- The wine is primarily distributed through direct estate sales and imported to Scandinavian markets.

## Food pairing

This dry rosé, with its vibrant acidity and delicate red fruit and grapefruit notes, is best suited for lighter fare. Its crispness cuts through richness, while its subtle fruit complements fresh ingredients. Mediterranean and Provençal dishes, often featuring olive oil, fresh herbs, and seafood, provide an ideal backdrop, allowing the wine's refreshing character to shine without being overpowered.

## Wine making process

The Cuvée Othello Rosé undergoes a short cold skin maceration to achieve its delicate pale pink hue and develop structural complexity, including notes of grapefruit. Following maceration, the grapes are temperature-controlled fermented. The wine is aged briefly in inert, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve its youthful fruit character, freshness, and immediate drinkability, before being bottled early. While precise analytical data like pH, TA, and RS are proprietary, the wine is vinified to a bone-dry standard.