Chateau de Campuget, ‘Invitation Rosé’, Costières de Nîmes, France 2020

Château de Campuget is a beautiful property in Costières de Nîmes, an appellation on the up that’s a fine hunting ground for well-priced, characterful wines, especially from smaller producers such as this one. Established in 1942, the château itself was built in 1753, which is also when the first vines were planted here. In 2019, Château de Campuget was certified as Haute Valeur Environmentale, which officially recognises the environmental performance of winegrowers, including biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategies, managed fertiliser use and water resource management.

The vineyard is situated 15 kilometres south of Nîmes, near the village of Manduel, in the heart of the ‘Appellation d’Origine Protégée’ the Costières de Nîmes. The average age of the vines is 25 years. The main characteristic of the vineyard is the soil, which is formed of ‘gress’, an accumulation of rounded pebbles that have been deposited by the overflowing Rhône River thousands of years ago. The vines benefit from the Mediterranean sunshine, which bring the grapes to perfect maturity.

2020 was an exceptional vintage for Campuget. Spring brought timely, gentle rain, just before and after flowering. The summer saw classic hot, Mediterranean weather, without the heatwaves of recent years, and a gentle storm during August refreshed the vines, enabling them to reach perfect maturity. The canopies were plentiful, providing important shade and the vineyards were in excellent health. Picking started on the earliest ever date -17th August. The grapes delivered outstanding fruit concentration and excellent balancing acidity.

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