Valerie and Philippe Riboud bought the beautiful Château Roubine with the adjoining 75 hectares of vineyard in 1994. Neither of them had much experience of wine growing at that time. Valerie had been working in the hotel and restaurant sector and Philippe was a sportsman (six Olympic medals in fencing!). So they had to learn everything from scratch.
As for all growers in Provence rosé wine is important for Chateau Roubine. It accounts for 45% of production and is a high quality rosé, in particular the prestige cuvée “Philippe Riboud” made exclusively from the unusual but interesting grape variety Tibouren (~12 €/bottle). It has concentrated fruit, some smokiness and some touches of lemon and orange peel.
Also the red “Philippe Riboud” (14€), predominately made from Syrah, and my favourite among the white wines, Cuvée Bargemon (~12€) made from Sémillon and slightly oaked, are very good. All are Appellation Contrôlée Côtes de Provence.
