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.

This magnificent seven-hectare estate, situated a short walk from the center of the Mediterranean village of Cassis, began in the early 1980s with Claire Lefevre, a vigneronne of great class and character.

Madame Lefevre passed away having reached her mid ‘80s and none of her immediate family had the time or the energy to follow in her footsteps. So, the Domaine du Bagnol staggered through a few vintages and eventually was sold.

The new owner, Jean-Louis Genovesi, a native of Cassis who had departed for Paris and made his fame (and a few centimes as well) in the capital. Jean-Louis and his son, Sébastien, have revived the domaine and the wines, both blanc and rosé, are more compelling than ever. The domaine sits just beneath the imposing limestone outcropping of Cap Canaille and is a mere 200 meters distance from the shores of the Mediterranean. Thus situated, the Domaine du Bagnol is the beneficiary of the cooling winds from the north, northwest and northeast (Tramontane, Mistral and grégal) as well as the gentle sea breezes that come ashore.