It was not the French Riviera but it did have a certain similarity.  Actually we were on the Rooftop Terrace of the L'Ermitage Beverly Hills tasting some of Provence's most prestigious wines.  Sponsored by 'Vins de Provence' and entitled "Simply Iconic"  the tasting included many Rose wines which are the signature vintage of the South of France.
In fact over eighty per cent of the wines produced in the several appellations of Provence are Roses blended artfully from nine different grape varietals.
This tasting also included some excellent red wines produced in Provence and we were much taken with the quality of some of the white wines as well.
It had been over a decade since our visit to Provence and since then Rose wines have surged in popularity both in France and very much so in the USA.  In fact Provence Roses have shown double digit increases in exports to the US every one of the last ten years.
Our tasting at this event proved that there is indeed good reasons for these increases in popularity.
So it was an exciting afternoon.  It was a warm Spring day with a view from the rooftop all the way to a snow capped Mount San Antonio (Mt. Baldy).  And there was salt water just a short distance away.
Made us want to make one more trip to Provence.