Apologies if this is behind a paywall. A retired Paris businesswoman fell in love with goats, now has a herd of ~500 free-range, munched 2 hectares (5 acres) of Vermentino in Corbieres and are hard at work decimating neighboring vineyards.
Thoughts:
I thought Vermentino was called ‘Rolle’ in France.
I thought Corbieres would be too hot for it anyway.
I was reminded of this infamous caprine tragedy/crisis as I threw back a functional bottle of the 2023 Dom. De Fontsainte ‘Gris de Gris’ [Corbieres] over a couple of afternoons. This rose is a very pale (farmed!) salmon color, light bodied and low abv at 12.5% abv, with a savory/salty/beach character. It’s very ‘crushable’ as a half bottle disappeared as I assembled a charcuterie table for the teens’ homecoming pre-portait snacks. I’m not sure what ‘gris de gris’ really means, but it’s solid, although like many KLWM wines richly priced at frontline prices, especially when considering the context how/where/when rose is consumed i.e. quickly and casually. If pressed for some classification, I’d put into the B zone - noting that the only rose I find memorable is the odd Bandol.