Blend: 50% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc, 10% Viognier, 10% Marsanne
From: Costieres de Nimes (Southern Rhone), France
Taste: The 2021 Mas des Bressades Cuvée Tradition Blanc, Costières de Nîmes is a blend of Roussanne (50%), Marsanne (30%), Grenache Blanc (10%) and Viognier, and the result is a fresh, lively, somewhat fleshy wine that is perfectly balanced on both nose and palate. The aromas are apple blossoms, orange peel, and exotic white and yellow fruit hints. The palate entry is soft and plush, with the fruit lifted by the bright acidity, exposing subtle notes of spice and flinty minerals. The finish is complex and lengthy, with all components firing together and nothing out of place. It walks like a white Châteauneuf and talks like it, too!
Pairing: In general, serving this with roasted poultry, seafood/grilled fish, grilled vegetables, and the le grand aioli (a fresh crudite dish served in Provence alongside a plethora of aioli to dip in) is fantastic. Other pairing ideas include serving this alongside many types of seafood, including baked/broiled/grilled oysters, scallops, prawns, poached sea bass, poached salmon, and shrimp/salmon salads (check out the recipe below). This would also pair well with grilled white meats, sushi, spicy Thai food, calamari, and honey-braised ham.
Grilled Salmon Salad With Lime, Chiles and Herbs
By Melissa Clark
About. Mas des Bressades is regarded as one of the finest domaines of the Costières de Nîmes. With six generations of viticultural, Mas des Bressades is regarded as one of the finest domaines of the Costières de Nîmes. With six generations of viticultural heritage preceding him, Roger Marès bought this lovely estate in the Provençal village of Manduel in 1964. Today, Roger’s son, Cyril, directs the domaine and crafts their elegant wines while his cousin, Alix, manages the estate.
Cyril was born in Nîmes and grew up here with an intimate knowledge of the vineyards and orchards. After finishing his agronomy, viticulture, and enology studies in Montpellier in 1994, he traveled the world, interning at California’s Chalone Vineyards and under Bordeaux wine legends Bruno Prats and Paul Pontallier in Chile. Cyril returned home in 1996 to make wine for his family with a newfound zeal for quality. In 1998, he married the girl next door, Nathalie Blanc of Mas Carlot, and the two have since become leading figures in the appellation at the heads of their respective family estates.
Mas des Bressades consists of 40 hectares of vineyards in the AOC Costières de Nîmes, all farmed sustainably. Like his father, who had left his mark on the domaine by replanting many of the vines in the 1970s, Cyril began his tenure by replanting some of the old orchards with Syrah and Grenache. Since then, he has added to the family holdings by purchasing old-vine plots of Roussanne, Marsanne, and Mourvèdre. Cyril also has parcels planted to 70-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah vines, which he uses for “Les Vignes de Mon Père,” a tribute cuvee to his father, using the savoir-faire he acquired with Bordeaux varietals abroad. He has also reduced vineyard yields, which range between 30-40 hectoliters per hectare—a decision that favors quality over quantity.
The soils in the Costières de Nîmes are rich in red clay and limestone galets roulés, which provide a layer of insulation in extreme weather. This area of the Southern Rhône is famous for 250 days of sunshine a year. While hot and dry during the growing season, the grapes can count on the Mistral to temper the heat. This native wind preserves the fruit's natural acidity while acting as a natural antiseptic against pests and rot, making sustainable vine treatments incredibly effective. Cyril harvests the grapes in several passes to achieve freshness and complexity.
In addition to ensuring quality in the vineyards, Cyril has constructed a new cellar to optimize the aging of his wines. His studies abroad gave him a new understanding of oak aging, which he uses judiciously to showcase his terroir best. Depth and consistency are his primary style objectives, which he achieves with great success. The grapes are de-stemmed upon arrival at the winery and are fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. From there, the aging process of each cuvee is different. The Viognier-Roussanne blend spends five months in barrel; the rosé “Tradition” is made with free-run juice; and the Syrah-Grenache “Tradition” ages in concrete tanks. “Les Vignes de Mon Père” is aged for a year in oak from one- to two-year barrels. Bottled as the Vin de Pays du Gard, this powerful and deeply earthy bottle is arguably the tête de cuvée of the domaine.
