2024 Clos St. Magdeleine - Cassis Blanc Bel-Arme (750ml)

Clos Sainte Magdeleine's top cuvée, Bel-Arme, was first produced in 2012 and takes its name from a single, roughly one-hectare parcel of sixty-year-old vines on the limestone terraces of Cap Canaille, France's highest sea cliff. The Sack-Zafiropulo family, Greek industrialists who emigrated to France in the 19th century, acquired the estate in 1921 and have run it ever since, now guided by Jonathan Sack, who took over from his father, François, in 2008 and completed the property's conversion to organic farming in 2012. Situated within the Calanques National Park, the domaine's thirteen hectares of vineyard rise in terraces overlooking the Mediterranean, framed by an Art Deco mansion that has become one of the signature images of the Cassis coastline.

Bel-Arme blends Marsanne, Clairette, Ugni Blanc, and a touch of Bourboulenc from vines planted more than fifty years ago on a north-facing slope of limestone marl, an exposure that helps preserve freshness in this warm coastal appellation. The wine ferments with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats and matures on fine lees for several months before bottling without fining or filtration, producing a fuller, richer wine than the estate's standard Cassis Blanc.

The wine pours pale yellow, bright and clear, with a fine, floral nose touched by spice. The palate is suave and opulent, combining richness and silkiness with fine minerality, finishing long with notes of honey and fresh fruit. It pairs beautifully with pan-seared red mullet, sea bass, or fried zucchini blossoms.