The terroir
The vineyard, situated between 250 and 350 m above sea level, lies on a geological zone of limestone scree, home to numerous marine fossils.
The very calcareous soil (Ph 8.4 to 8.7) is of two types, often alternating on the same plot: areas of calcareous clay molasse and sandier areas derived from sandstone rocks of marine origin.
We benefit from a Mediterranean climate swept by the Mistral wind in the late-ripening sectors of the Coteaux d'Aix en Provence appellation.
The vineyard
The vineyard covers 17 hectares in the communes of Rognes and Lambesc.
Numerous small plots are often surrounded by pine forest and garrigue, imbuing the wines with their distinctive flavors.
Some of the older plots, over 40 and 50 years old, are particularly carefully tended to preserve this heritage, which is tending to disappear in the area.
For whites: Rolle (Vermentino), Grenache blanc, Ugni blanc, Sémillon, Sauvignon and Aranel.
For reds : Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Counoise, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, for AOC / Caladoc, Marselan and Merlot for vins de Pays.
The vineyard has been farmed organically since 2011:
- Natural weeding and green manuring with legumes (field peas, vetches, mustards and cereals)
- Treatments reduced to the strict minimum, based on copper and sulfur, infusions or decoctions of plants (horsetail, yarrow, nettle, chamomile...).
Particular care is taken in trellising the vines, with precise disbudding in the spring. The main objective is to obtain a harvest at optimum maturity with the best possible expression of terroir.
The cellar
The cellar has recently been modernized with a stainless steel vat room.
Numerous small-volume vats enable us to make a maximum number of parcel selections before blending.
The winery is equipped with a large refrigeration capacity and temperature-controlled vats, particularly well-suited to white and rosé vinification.
Another, more traditional cellar is reserved for maturing wines in 225 and 400-liter barrels (no new barrels) or in terracotta or stoneware amphorae.