2020 Château Camparnaud Prestige Blanc

Wine has been made at Château Camparnaud since 1879, but it was in 2000 that the domain came into the possession of the Dutch wine expert Marnix Engels who, in collaboration with the noble Chevron Villette family, managed to realize a world-class domain. The AOP Côtes de Provence wines are produced ecologically, with respect for people and nature. Terra Vitis is a national federation of farmers, traders and industry experts under strict supervision of production methods and techniques. Together they strive for pure products of the highest quality while protecting nature for the next generation.

Two years ago, Camparnaud started secretly creating two white Provençal wines, made from the characteristic Rolle grape (better known in Italy as 'Vermentino'). Where these white grapes were previously used in the rosé blends of Camparnaud, after much tasting and experimentation, two beautiful white wines have been made, namely the Prestige Blanc and these are available in small quantities from the 2020 vintage in addition to the rosés.

This Prestige Blanc is the brother of the very popular HQ Provence Rose de Prestige Rosé . This Camparnaud Prestige Blanc consists for 100% of the typical Provence grape, namely the Rolle (in Italy this grape is called the Vermentino). In the glass, the Camparnaud Prestige Blanc has a beautiful, very light straw yellow color. The wine is wonderfully dry but also fruity and slightly mineral. We smell aromas of banana & yellow fruits but also some salty tones and a kniosperiness such as wet stone and pebbles. On the palate, the wine is subtly spicy with an aftertaste of candied citrus fruit and the fruit and acidity are perfectly balanced. We can almost smell the Mediterranean and the herbs of the Marquis. A very elegant white wine that is incredibly tasty with grilled fish, seafood or fish dishes with creamy garlic sauces. The supply is very limited because the available total production is only 3000 bottles. Of course this is also a rosé which is produced with respect for people and nature and is ecologically certified: Terra Vitis.

MAKING WINE

The grapes come from the Côtes de Provence vineyards, which are also ecologically certified. The vines are on average between 20 and 60 years old and they are one of the few that uses a tri-optique so that only the best grapes make it into the selection. A Tri-optique machine is a very expensive machine and is a fairly recent principle that throws out the loose, damaged grapes on the sorting table and where the grapes are subjected to an optical analysis with a camera and removed if they do not have the preset shape. or have color. These are very expensive machines that are mainly used in Burgundy by the absolute top brands. The grapes are harvested at night and very early in the morning. This is done because it is still cool in the hot Provencal summer, so that the grapes can be brought to the Château as quickly as possible in order to monitor the freshness and avoid premature fermentation. All grapes are destemmed so only the best are in the wine. Only temperature-regulated stainless steel tanks are used for all wines, no wood, in order to let the pure expression of the terroir speak as much as possible.

In the Winery at the Château, the following steps are carried out:

- vibrating plate for separating tank juice and grapes
- grape selection tri-optique: only perfect fruit advances to the next step
- cold treatment to prevent oxidation and color change
- pressing
- cold stabilization of must for 7 days
- fermentation for 10 to 14 days
- the wine matures on its lees ('sur lies') with regular stirring.
- assembling different grapes ('blending')
- final bottling in bottle