Les Baux de Provence is a small Village perched in the Alpilles region of Provence, in southeastern France. It is known for its high quality red and rosé wines, produced mainly from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. The classic Baux de Provence wine is a Deep red with aromas of mountain herbs, black olives, violets and stewed blackberries. The Baux de Provence appellation did not cover white wines until a few years ago.
Today, a tiny amount of white wine is produced each year under this appellation, from a combination of classic southern French grape varieties. The predominance of red wines is unusual in Provence, whose vineyards and appellations are heavily focused on rosé. Only a quarter of the wines of Les Baux de Provence are rosé. The village is perched on the flat-topped limestone promontory from which it takes its name (baou means "rocky spur" in Provençal dialect) 100 m above the vineyards and olive groves below.
Mainly cultivated in the Languedoc region, carignan originates from Spain. Because of its very resistant branches, it is often called hardwood. Its bunches are quite large. They are compact and winged with a lignified stalk. The berries are spherical in shape and take on a bluish-black colour. Carignan has a total of 25 approved clones, the best known of which are 274, 65 and 9. The carignan buds at the beginning of June and is protected from spring frosts. It does not reach maturity until the third period. Also, this grape variety needs warmth and sunshine. It appreciates dry and not very fertile soils. Carignan vines can live for more than 100 years. Those that are more than 30 years old produce a better wine. This wine is well coloured. It is generous and powerful at the same time. Pepper, cherry, blackberry, banana, raspberry, almond, prune and violet are some of the aromas that this grape variety gives off.
wines from the region of Les Baux-de-Provence go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of tunisian molokheya, lamb chops marinated with herbs or venison stew.
