WINE & SPIRITS

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The next series of wines came out two at a time, paired with fresh sardines, beets with goat cheese, raw mackerel, crab cakes with razor clams and duck breast with olives. We tasted L'Estandon, one of the oldest and best known of the Provence rosés. It's a delicate fruity wine that's become the summer standard at the beach clubs of St. Tropez. Rosé often gets a bum rap as being light and watered down. It's true, they can be light and refreshing, but rosé wines can also be full-bodied, floral and herbaceous. Château Routas Rouvière, from a new winery north of Toulon, was among the most viscous wines we tasted. A gorgeous shade of salmon pink, it had mild acidity and a long floral finish.

Certain rosé wines, we learned, are ideally suited to be paired with lamb (a specialty of the region). One such wine, from Domaine Houchart near Aix-en-Provence, was bone dry with crisp acidity. Its complex red grape blend—equal parts cabernet sauvignon (blackberry), grenache (leather), syrah (spice) and cinsault (power)—helps it stand up to rich foods.

With dessert, Dagorn suggested a dry rosé. "It's a natural," he said, "light and refreshing." Out came out a fig tart topped with crème fraiche, followed by a heavy-hitter wine from Château Minuty, one of Provence's 14 Grand Cru estates. The Château itself, located in the heart of St. Tropez, was once home to the Counts of Côtes de Provence. Today it produces a wine with a delicate flesh color, a vibrant tartness reminiscent of dried peaches and a layered finish.

For our lunchtime finale, out came a bottle most of us recognized, Domaines Ott with its bowling pin curves. The fabled, super-chic winery owns three estates in Provence. The top-of-the-line Château de Selle is planted on 160 hillside acres. The stony, arid soil leads to long-suffering vines, and suffering vines, as all winemakers know, produce the most flavorful wines. The pale orange wine features violet notes, a refreshing acidity and spectacular balance. Like the more coy and understated Domaine de l'Abbaye Clos Beylesse, it's Provencal poetry in a refreshing cold glass.