2020 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d'Aix en Provence 750 ml

We were gathered on the back patio of Napa’s Oxbow Market when VP of Wine Eduardo Dingler arrived with a glistening, pale pink bottle of the 2020 Commanderie de la Bargemone rosé. In just a few pours, summer had arrived.

The 13th-century estate’s flagship bottling is highly anticipated at Wine Access, and the newly released 2020 quickly proved a favorite among favorites—a bone-dry, high-toned, strawberry and herb-scented classic that sees legendary Bargemone at its greatest height yet. 

It’s rare to find the best a region has to offer at $22, but that’s why we love Bargemone, and why Robert Parker called it a “terrific value that always delivers.” Going far beyond most wines in its price range, this makes celebration easy and requires absolutely no holding back. 

Parker isn’t shy about his affection for this rosé of rosés, calling Commanderie de la Bargemone a “perennial favorite” and “quintessential Provençal rosé.” On the patio at Oxbow, the 2020’s fragrant nose of fresh strawberry, sour cherry, and red currant threaded with lavender and thyme spoke deeply of the limestone-rich soils outside the town of Aix-en-Provence, pulling us into a windswept Mediterranean vista. 

800-year old Commanderie de la Bargemone was founded by the Knights of Templar, who built compounds known as commanderie—giving the estate its name—in what are now rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Counoise, Grenache, and Sauvignon Blanc. 

The property’s celebrated history seeps into the 2020 at every level, notably through the use of Counoise, an old and little known grape variety—also found in the wines of Château de Beaucastel—that adds a hint of peppery spice and floral lift. 

Current owners Christian and Marina Garin haven’t changed an iota of Bargemone’s Old World charm—but behind the scenes, they have worked miracles, namely making the switch to 100% organic farming. 

The 2020 shows off their hard work with a new level of focus and purity. Grapes plucked off younger, healthier vines are carefully ushered into a pristine, modern cellar where new stainless steel tanks preserve red fruit vibrancy and breezy maritime freshness. 

Delicate yet wildly energetic and joyful, this is undoubtedly the “quintessential Provençal rosé” as well as an extraordinary value. After the winter we’ve all had, there’s no better way to experience summer.