Chateau de Manissy Tavel Rose Tete de Cuvée

Dating as far back as the 17th century, Château de Manissy was once the property of the Lafarge family before they donated it to the local church. The Holy family’s missionaries acquired the castle at the beginning of the 20th century and began growing their own vines to produce their first Cuvée of Tavel wine. Some of these early plantings are still in production, with vines dating back to 1914.

They soon gained a famous reputation for their Tête de Cuvée, a barrel aged rosé, a wine which is till made today. Florian Andre, a young winemaker from Tavel, took over the vineyard in 2003 and continues the Holy family’s winemaking tradition. In 2009, he began to convert the entire vineyard to organic agriculture and today the estate is in fact fully biodynamic, eschewing the need for chemical treatments in the vineyards and working closely with nature to maximise soil and vine health, and seeing the quality of wine improve even further as a result. Today the estate comprises 60 hectares spread across Tavel, Lirac, Côtes du Rhône and a tiny parcel of Châteauneuf du Pape.

Hand-harvested Grenache, Clairette and Cinsault grown on galets roules over sand and blue clay soils. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and cold-soaked for 24-48 hours before pressing, before alcoholic fermentation is initiated by native yeasts and continues at low temperatures (16-18°C) for around 15 days with malolactic fermentation depending on vintage. The wine is then aged in 225-litre barrels for 6-9 months, and has excellent onward aging potential

A rich, complex style of rose with aromas of ripe quince, dried orange and hints of almond and exotic spice; full bodied yet dry and elegant with a long, satisfying finish; this wonderful wine comes into its own when paired with food. It will match particularly well with north African spiced grills and tagines.