Region: Provence, Cassis, France
Varietal: 40% Marsanne, 30% Ugni blanc, 25% Clairette, 5% Bourboulenc
Tasting Notes: Vibrant golden yellow color. A ripe aroma packed with herbs, wildflowers, and just a hint of pine. Rich and full. The palate is a synthesis of citrus, white peach, honeysuckle, and tarragon, with hints of crystalline quinine. All this is gently enveloped in a soft lemony oil finish. This is the wine for your boat’s ice chest. It tastes as good on the Pacific as it does on the Mediterranean!
Pairing: It will come as no surprise to you that this wine loves to be on the table with seafood. Shellfish, Dungeness crab, rich salmon, white fish in lemony sauces, tinned fish on toast, and on, and on. Just think “the sea” when considering what to prepare to partner with this wine. One I vouch for whole heartedly is Mark Bittman’s Bouillabaisse.
About: In 1921, Georges Zafiropulo, a Marseille industrialist of Greek origin, acquired the Clos Sainte Magdeleine in Cassis. Then during the war, Jean-Flavien Borelli, his brother-in-law, bought Mas de Rey, a wine estate in the Camargue. Since then, their descendants have continued to perpetuate this love of wine and now offer several ranges from selected terroirs in Provence.
“Placed like a watchtower facing the Mediterranean, the Clos Sainte Magdeleine is above all an extraordinary site.
The cultivation of the vine dates back to the 12th century, thus making it a historic vineyard of Provence.
Its terroir is made up of sandstone and sandy marl from the Cretaceous, soil favorable to the production of great dry white wines.
It is a unique place where the elements (water, earth, light and winegrower) come together. I produce organic wines that respect our soils and guarantee a true identity, finely mineral and saline.
The wines of Clos Sainte Magdeleine are to be drunk immediately or to be forgotten for several years in the cellar.”
-Jonathan SACK, winegrower
