Clos Cibonne Tibouren "Cuvée Spéciale des Vignettes" 2024

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Clos Cibonne is one of the 18 Crus Classes of the Cotes de Provence, its traditional goblet-trained vines set close to the Mediterranean in the foothills of the Maures mountains overlooking Toulon's harbour, on schist at around 50 metres; the sea air cools the vineyard through summer and east-west ventilation makes organic farming practical. 'Cuvee Speciale des Vignettes' is a limited selection made exclusively from the estate's oldest organically farmed Tibouren, over 60 years old — 90% Tibouren with 10% Grenache, as the appellation requires. After an early-morning manual harvest the grapes are destemmed and directly pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel, then racked into 120-year-old 5,000-litre foudres where the wine ages 12 months on the fine lees under a fleurette, a thin veil of yeast similar to the process in Sherry or the Jura. Vignettes is often the longest-lived of the Cibonne cuvees, repaying 10+ years of cellar time. (Source: De Maison Selections, US importer.)