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WINERIES
Château Fontvert
Château Fontvert is located near the village of Lourmarin in the heart of the Luberon Mountains, a region celebrated for the beauty of its landscapes.
Four centuries of history...
As the stone-carved coat-of-arms proudly proclaims, the Domaine de Fontvert, a magnificent fortified provencal mas, was built in the second half of the XVIIth century by a Huguenot family.
For more than 3 centuries, the estate will remain carefully tended by the same family, generation through generation.
It is out of passion for vineyards and love for the region that Doctor Olivier Monod, mayor of the village, decided to settle on the Fontvert domain in the middle of last century.
In 1999, Jérôme Monod and his three sons Fabrice, Guillaume and Donatien, driven by the same passion, and seducted by the wide variety of vines and the richness of the domain, decided to vinify and age wine.
Since the year 2000, Château Fontvert has aquired a modern vathouse, a burried cellar and a packaging and consignment shed, guaranteeing the authenticity and the excellence of the various vintages.
C'est au coeur du Luberon, célébré pour la beauté de ses paysages, sur la commune de Lourmarin, que s'étend le vignoble de Château Fontvert.
Quatres siècles d’histoire...
Le domaine de Fontvert s’est constitué autour d’un magnifique mas provençal, édifié par une famille huguenote dans la seconde moitié du XVII° siècle (comme en témoigne le blason dominant son entrée principale). Mais des écrits encore plus anciens évoquent l’existence du domaine dès la fin du XVI° siècle.
Pendant plus de trois siècles, le domaine restera propriété de cette même famille, transmis et patiemment façonné de génération en génération.
C’est au milieu du siècle dernier que le Docteur Olivier Monod, maire du village, par passion de la vigne et amour du pays, décide de s’installer au domaine de Fontvert.
En 1999, Jérôme Monod et ses trois fils Fabrice, Guillaume et Donatien, guidés par une même passion, séduits par la grande richesse des cépages et des parcelles du domaine, décident de vinifier et d’élever eux mêmes les produits de ce terroir et de son soleil.
A partir de l’an 2000, Château Fontvert s’est équipé d’une cuverie moderne, d’un chai à barriques enterré et d’une halle de conditionnement et d’expédition afin de garantir l’authenticité et l’excellence des différentes cuvées proposées.
Château Bas
Château Bas is situated in the heart of the Coteaux d'Aix en Provence appellation, in a small valley between Aix and Salon, at the crossroads between the Alpilles, the Luberon and Aix.
The site is profoundly marked by its history. The first century BC roman temple that dominates the
landscape is the most visible symbol of this heritage, along with the Romanesque chapel dedicated to Saint Cézaire. The château, restored in the 17th century is itself built over a roman village. The excavations reveal that farming, and wine making have been a key feature of this site for more than 2000 years.
The vineyards are on chalky-clay hillsides in the small valleys around the Château, with sun drenched slopes and cool hollows in the forest, making for a diversity of microclimates conductive to growing vines. The Mistral is an integral part of the terroir, blowing in cold dry air from the North-West, sweeping away clouds and damp, it benefits the grapes, which grow healthier and more concentrated.
The vigneron can weigh expertise and intuition to create a rich palette of flavours and aromas with which to compose the fine wines of Provence. From the automn harvest into the cold, dim light, in the silence of winter the winemaker nurtures the wine along a path to its birth. Aging the reds can last up to two years – in tanks or barriques, depending on the grape variety and the vintage. The frequency and intensity of racking little by little sketches the contours of the new vintages; the tannins mellow out, the fruit grows more refined and the liquid more limpid and the cold and the weather stabilise the wine's constituent parts. All it needs now is time.
The rosés and whites stay on fine lees for several months, conferring fullness and aroma. Vinified
separately, the different cuvées are blended and bottled from late winter onwards. The wines are ready to drink by early springtime.
Château Bas produces three cuvées: Cuvée du Temple in three colours comes from the finest parcels of vineyard and forms the backbone of our production; Pierres du Sud, in three colours, crearly lays claim to it's Provencal identity; Alvernègues are easy drinking wines ideal for summer cooking