Why it matters
The producer
Tibouren is a very old grape variety that originates on the Mediterranean coast. In 1930, André Roux planted the estate exclusively with Tibouren. Clos Cibonne is the modern family name of this Provence estate, whose property passed to Brigitte Roux, André's granddaughter, and Claude Deforges in 1993.
Olivier Deforges, a fifth generation winemaker, has taken over as both vineyard manager and winemaker. The range includes rosé cuvées such as Cuvée des Vignettes, Cuvée Caroline and Cuvée Spéciale Les Vignettes, alongside red wines including Cuvée Olivier and Cuvée Spéciale Tibouren.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Clos Cibonne is located in Le Pradet in Provence, between Toulon and Hyères. Its rosé and red wines carry the Côtes de Provence appellation. The village identifies the estate's location, while the appellation places the bottles within the wider Provençal category.
The vineyard sits on schist clay soil, which provides good drainage. Drainage allows excess water to leave the root zone instead of remaining around the vines. The vineyard is also constantly exposed to drying mistral winds. The site therefore combines draining ground with drying air, two physical conditions that affect water movement around the vines and moisture on the foliage.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats on a cold setting, which delays the start. It lasts about ten days, with two pump overs each day. Pumping over moves fermenting liquid across the grape solids, helping extract colour and tannin.
Wine ages in 120 years old, 5,000 litre foudres for one year. Foudres are large wooden vessels, so they allow slow oxygen exchange during ageing with less new wood flavour than a new small barrel.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range is divided first by colour. Rosé cuvées include Cuvée des Vignettes, Cuvée Caroline, Clos Cibonne Cuvée Tradition and Cuvée Spéciale Les Vignettes. The red cuvées include Cuvée Spéciale Tibouren and Cuvée Olivier.
Cuvée Caroline has potential for further development, giving the rosé range a bottle with a longer cellar horizon. The red wines provide a separate part of the collection, with Cuvée Olivier linked to barrel ageing and Cuvée Spéciale Tibouren carrying the estate's historic grape name.