281 Rosé 2020

281 comes exclusively from the original estate vineyard, a half mile from the ocean and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The quality of this location has always been evident, as the estate was one of the original 18 classified growths in Provence.

281 comes from the single plot that inspired the Matton brothers to replant much of their estate and focus on the Grenache grape. This plot, you could say, is responsible for what great Côtes de Provence rosé has become: a wine of aromatic complexity, beautiful and intense fruit, and seamless freshness. The plot is planted with one particular clone of Grenache that is unique to the Minuty estate. When a vine dies, it is replaced with the cutting of a living vine (massal selection) rather than re-planted with vines from a nursery. Finally, the Minuty family is proud of their strong commitment to sustainable viticulture. They quickly achieved the French government’s High Environmental Value certification for the estate’s biodiversity, farm management to limit inputs, and broader commitment to limiting environmental impact. All their vineyards have long been grown without the use of chemicals.

Minuty’s icon wine represents the greatest heights of their estate philosophy: to create as untouched as possible a pure and fresh expression of their vineyard. That means that while they make some white and red wines that see oak, this wine does not. In fact the opposite, they go to enormous lengths to avoid oxidation. The first step is, as with all their wines, fruit is handpicked. Just as important, they time the picking with their pressing, so that when the grapes are picked and brought over to the winery, they immediately go to the press, protected by carbonic gas. Grapes are chilled, and as for Rose et Or and Prestige, they only take the free run juice, around 65-70% of the total volume. Alcoholic fermentation is at cool temperature and lasts around 3 weeks. There is no malolactic fermentation. Selection and blending are done around the end of November.

The 2020 vintage saw a particularly warm winter causing an early growing season. Frost in March has impacted the overall production, but the consequent natural low yields have resulted in great concentration of the berries producing wines with exceptionally rich aromas. The frost contributed also in slowing down the growing cycle allowing moderate sugar concentration and lower alcohol (around 12.5%) while harvesting at full phenolic ripeness. The result is one of the best vintages in recent years, expressive and marked by a delightful freshness, signature of Minuty rosés.

The color is pale pink with crystal reflections. Very intense aromas of citrus fruits and white flowers. Then on the palate, great depth with a pronounced mineral structure.