Château Grande Cassagne is a small estate located on the very western edge of the Rhône Valley. The domaine is run by the Darde brothers and their property is located near the village of Saint-Gilles, where the land rises to expose a boulder-strewn plateau. Wines from Costières de Nîmes have been produced for over two millennia and were consumed by the Greeks - long before the birth of the Roman Empire - making it one of the oldest wine growing regions on the planet. Once settled by veterans of Caesar's campaigns in Egypt, bottles of wine from Costières de Nîmes frequently bear the symbol of the Roman settlement at Nîmes (a crocodile chained to a palm tree) although Château Grande Cassagne does not bear that symbol. Between the low rocky hills and the garrigue that mark the border of the Languedoc with Provence, and the low sandy plain of the Rhône delta, the arid soil in Costières de Nîmes is mostly a mixture of round pebbles or galets, similar to those found scattered throughout the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Benoît and Laurent Dardé took over their family estate in the mid-eighties, they ripped out and replanted all of the vines and now the grapes are organically grown and hand harvested. Benoît and Laurent bottle all of the wine at the domaine and they have recently installed a temperature-controlled cellar. Over the years, Château Grande Cassagne has developed a reputation for very high-quality wines at exceptional prices and we at PJ's love selling their stellar rosé summer after summer.

The 2008 rosé is a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah. A deep ruby-salmon in the glass with a nose that possesses a great balance between bright cherry scents, a note of sweet herbs and dried orange peel. The palate exhibits a rich and lively strawberry/raspberry flavored body that is backed by subtle notes of black cherry. The wine finishes with a note of orange infused, thirst-quenchingly dry acidity. The 2008 from Grande Cassagne shows impressive balance, a smooth mouth feel and a persistent, crisp, dry finish. This summer gem is fully loaded with depth, complexity and personality and I cannot recommend it highly enough for all of your summer barbeques!

—Donald