Tibouren, could almost be said to be the Provençal grape variety but dna profiling has shown it to be identical to rossese di Dolceacqua. It has a long history in south east France and the ability to produce such quintessentially Provençal wines as earthy rosés with a genuine scent of the garrigue (its wine is not naturally deep in colour). In 2011 total French plantings were still about 450 ha/1,110 acres, almost all in the Var. Tibouren is cultivated by a number of the more quality- and history-conscious producers of Provence and some of them bottle it as a varietal rosé. Particularly early-budding, it is sensitive to coulure and therefore yields irregularly. Its original sphere of influence was around St-Tropez, where it is thought by some to have been imported as recently as the end of the 18th century by a naval captain Antiboul, after whom it was named.
