For Sure Wines By Joseph Castan Bring French Coolness to Summer's Dog Days

The crisp breezes of autumn are somewhere out there in the future. In the meantime, wines like these two from Joseph Castan are needed to keep summer's sweltering weather at bay.

Dressed up with sunglasses and red ties, this pair from France really has a cool style. With temperatures ranging from mid-80s to high 90s, the timing was right to uncork these two wines from France's Joseph Castan winery.

Joseph Castan is a family-owned wine company founded by Vianney and Émilie Castan. The company’s name pays tribute to Vianney’s great-grandfather, Joseph Castan, a renowned winemaker. 

In 2015, Vianney and Émilie took over Domaine Château Saint-Louis la Perdrix, a 123-acre vineyard in the Costières de Nîmes appellation. The château’s history reaches back to the 13th century. 

“La Perdrix” means “the partridge” in French. It refers to the tradition that King Louis IX-- Saint Louis -- visited the property to hunt partridges. The vineyard soil includes smooth alluvial pebbles, characteristic of the Costières de Nîmes region. These stones absorb heat during the day and release it at night, helping promote ripeness while retaining the region’s natural freshness. 

Joseph Castan produces wines under several designations, including AOP Costières de Nîmes and IGP Pays d’Oc. We sampled the 2025 vintage of For Sure Pays d'Oc Chardonnay and For Sure Château Saint-Louis la Perdrix Costières de Nîmes Rosé.

The For Sure range is designed for fun, with the label proclaiming, "We didn't create the buzz, we bottled it." The wines are in step with that image, being fresh and breezy wines from the south of France.

The rosé is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. It is pale pink in color, and in the glass it features wild strawberry and rounded fruit flavors. This is a perfect summer sip for the patio. At 12% ABV, it pairs nicely with appetizers and tapas as well as light summer dishes like grilled fish.

The Chardonnay was a pleasant surprise. Neither my wife nor I are fans of overly oaked Chardonnay. While there are some notes of vanilla, instead of oak, there is a taste of lightly toasted nuts. These flavors join yellow fruit and ripe peach in a rounded palate. The ABV is 13.5%. Shellfish, creamy pasta, and poultry will match well with this wine. I really savored this wine, and it improved as it opened up.

The value is also quite good, with the US price being about $11 each. The wines are not (yet) widely distributed in the US, but when they are, you can expect a price of $14-$16. The winery has several different ranges of wine, certainly worth tasting if you are able.