Clos Cibonne: Chillable Red and Vintage Rosés
Provence rules the rosé world. Its lightly-colored, fragrant pink wines are the model for imitators the world over. But the real secrets to Provence's greatness aren't the things others can imitate: it's all about the terroir and tradition.
Clos Cibonne's wonderful, wildly unique wines are the exceptions that prove the Provençal rule.
Rare Grape When we offered their Cuvée Tradition in the spring, we explained how Clos Cibonne breaks the model. For one thing, they make their wines with the obscure and ancient grape "Tibouren." Obscure to all but the most devoted wine geeks, Tibouren, it turns out, is the grape that Ligurians call Rosesse. Obscure, but much loved here at the shop!
Rare Process The winemaking is at least as rare as the grape. Instead of trying to preserve the pretty fruit flavors by limiting contact with oxygen, Cibonne lets a thin layer of fleurette grown on top of the wine while it's in the barrel.
This is like flor aging in Jerez, or sous voile in the Jura. But the wine doesn't taste anything like sherry or Savagnin: it tastes like Provençal rosé, though and through. And that comes down to the seaside terroir and the long tradition of making wines that are perfect for the sunny mediterranean summer.
Rare Age-worthiness Clos Cibonne breaks the mold in a third way. Most Provençal rosés (and all their knock-offs) are wines you can only really drink young. With time, the fruit fades and nothing of much interest develops to replace it.
But Clos Cibonne is in that rare category of rosés though, with culty favorites like Lopez's Rosado and Château Simone, that really are well worth aging. The fruit evolves, rather than merely fading, and mineral flavors and earthy notes develop and add complexity.
You can see this terroir and tradition even in Cibonne's reds. We opened the 2020 Tibouren and it was exactly the kind of red wine you'd want to drink in Provence. It's a translucent ruby color and beautifully aromatic, with strawberries and roses and hints of the sea. The palate is beautifully fresh with similar flavors and enough length to give you some time to really relish the pleasure.
We're thrilled to be able to offer this selection of Cibonne's most interesting wines with special pricing: 10% off all Cibonne wines (with code: Cibonne10) and 15% off if you buy any 6 or more bottles (with code: Cibonne15).
Please note that these wines are all very limited, so please don't wait to click through place your order online.
Clos Cibonne's wonderful, wildly unique wines are the exceptions that prove the Provençal rule.
Rare Grape When we offered their Cuvée Tradition in the spring, we explained how Clos Cibonne breaks the model. For one thing, they make their wines with the obscure and ancient grape "Tibouren." Obscure to all but the most devoted wine geeks, Tibouren, it turns out, is the grape that Ligurians call Rosesse. Obscure, but much loved here at the shop!
Rare Process The winemaking is at least as rare as the grape. Instead of trying to preserve the pretty fruit flavors by limiting contact with oxygen, Cibonne lets a thin layer of fleurette grown on top of the wine while it's in the barrel.
This is like flor aging in Jerez, or sous voile in the Jura. But the wine doesn't taste anything like sherry or Savagnin: it tastes like Provençal rosé, though and through. And that comes down to the seaside terroir and the long tradition of making wines that are perfect for the sunny mediterranean summer.
Rare Age-worthiness Clos Cibonne breaks the mold in a third way. Most Provençal rosés (and all their knock-offs) are wines you can only really drink young. With time, the fruit fades and nothing of much interest develops to replace it.
But Clos Cibonne is in that rare category of rosés though, with culty favorites like Lopez's Rosado and Château Simone, that really are well worth aging. The fruit evolves, rather than merely fading, and mineral flavors and earthy notes develop and add complexity.
You can see this terroir and tradition even in Cibonne's reds. We opened the 2020 Tibouren and it was exactly the kind of red wine you'd want to drink in Provence. It's a translucent ruby color and beautifully aromatic, with strawberries and roses and hints of the sea. The palate is beautifully fresh with similar flavors and enough length to give you some time to really relish the pleasure.
We're thrilled to be able to offer this selection of Cibonne's most interesting wines with special pricing: 10% off all Cibonne wines (with code: Cibonne10) and 15% off if you buy any 6 or more bottles (with code: Cibonne15).
Please note that these wines are all very limited, so please don't wait to click through place your order online.
Shop All Clos Cibonne.
Clos Cibonne, Côtes de Provence Tibouren Cuvée Speciale Rouge, 2020
This is a perfect summer red. You can chill it down, but it has substance. The flavor profile is different, but if you're a big fan of Pineau d'Aunis from the Loire, you need to taste this!
Clos Cibonne, Côtes de Provence Tibouren Rosé Cuvée Spéciale des Vignettes Cru Classé, 2019
This is Clos Cibonne's flagship wine. Josh Raynolds raved in Vinous:
"Pale, amber-hued orange. Powerful, mineral-accented aromas of red berries, orange pith, candied lavender and succulent herbs, along with peach pit and tarragon in the background. Chewy and tightly focused on entry, offering juicy cherry, blood orange and honeysuckle flavors that smooth out and turn sweeter through the mid-palate. Shows excellent clarity and finishes extremely long and sappy, leaving behind resonating floral, mineral and pit fruit notes." (Josh Raynolds, 94, Vinous)
Clos Cibonne, Côtes de Provence Tibouren Rosé Cuvée Spéciale des Vignettes Cru Classé, 2018
We managed to get just a little bit of the 2018. Get a head start on cellaring some bottles!
Clos Cibonne, Côtes de Provence Tibouren Rosé Cuvée Spéciale des Vignettes Cru Classé, 2014
The domaine did all the waiting for you! (Of course, if you have real patience you can lay it down for a little longer.)
Clos Cibonne, Côtes de Provence Tibouren Rosé Cuvée Homage à Marius, 2017
This Tête de Cuvée is named after the 19th century vigneron who preserved Tibouren for our pleasure. It's another critical fav:
"Diaphanous peach skin color. A hugely complex, expansive bouquet evokes ripe, spice-accented red berries, citrus fruits, dried flowers and botanical herbs, with a saline mineral overtone. Stains the palate with vibrant, sharply focused redcurrant, strawberry, blood orange, nectarine candied lavender and honey flavors that show a hint of saltiness and superb depth to go with the wine's energy. Refuses to let up on the penetrating, seamless and mineral-driven finish, which strongly echoes the floral and pit fruit notes. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous 95)