2024 Southold Rouge Clair Vin de France

There’s a narrow gully on the property you don’t notice until you’re inside it. Rocky, shaded, cool even in summer, edged by wild fig and cherry plum trees.On hot days in the vineyard, it’s where we go to step out of the heat. Rouge Clair is shaped by that sensibility.

Clairet (a traditional Bordeaux style, lighter than red, deeper than rosé) used to be made everywhere here, then it vanished.  The result is a wine driven by minerals and herbs rather than fruit weight. Racy but ripe, nervy without being sharp, more stone than plum. This is the wine for moments when a red feels too much and a rosé not quite enough.

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