Discovering the Château d'Ollières

The Château d'Ollières ? It is a place full of charm and picturesqueness. An estate off the beaten track. A vineyard nestled between the Sainte Victoire, a mountain dear to Cézanne, and the Sainte-Baume, the hermitage of Mary Magdalene.

To reach it, you have to leave the ex-Nationale 7, between Aix and Saint-Maximin, and then stroll a few kilometres in the Provencal countryside. One last turn and there it is, perched above the village whose name it bears. When, in the early 2000s, he visited this beautiful property for the first time, Hubert Rouy immediately sensed its potential.

It was not so much the old walls full of history that made him fall in love with them, but the nature that surrounds them. He knows instinctively that he has here the material to make great wines. There is certainly work to be done. The vineyard is moribund. It will be necessary to uproot, plant, train. But it won't be a waste of time. No, the soil is so beautiful...

A poor soil for a rich wine

 First of all, there is the land... The relief is favourable to viticulture with well exposed slopes. Their slopes accelerate the flow of rainwater.

However, it is important to know that, contrary to the millions of tourists who come to Provence, the vine only moderately appreciates being "feet in the water"! The clay-limestone soils are poor in organic matter and water. So much the better!

The vine will only bury its roots deeper in the subsoil, thus seeking out trace elements that will later influence the complexity of the wine.

Then there is the climate... The wind plays a significant role here. We are thinking of course of the famous mistral, one of the best allies against disease that a winegrower can dream of.

And then there are the temperatures. They are particularly low in winter. The cold naturally purifies the vines and rids them of many parasites. In summer, if the thermometer climbs to record levels in the middle of the day, it plummets as soon as the sun sets. There is a difference of up to ten degrees in the middle of the night.

This thermal amplitude allows a slow and regular ripening of the different grape varieties and thus favours a perfect balance between sugar and acidity, between tannins and fruit.

Respect for the land

Nature can do a lot, but it cannot do everything.

Charles Rouy, director of the estate, knows this well and has implemented very rigorous growing methods to get the best out of his vineyard.

Thus, during the winter, the vines are pruned very short to limit the yields and obtain beautiful concentrations of aromas. The land is worked as naturally as possible, according to the precepts of sustainable agriculture.

Treatments are limited, the sun and the wind being the best remedies. The soil is enriched with organic fertilisers. The terroir expresses itself all the better.

Finally, a large part of the vines are trellised to 1.8 metres high. The aim is to increase the exposed leaf surface to obtain an exceptional harvest quality with rich and healthy grapes.

The wines of Château d'Ollières

• O de Cézanne IGP Var (pink wine, capacity: 75 cl and magnum)
• Château d'Ollières - Bib " Les Fées Rosés " IGP Var (pink wine, capacity: 5 litres)
• Château d'Ollières classic IGP Coteaux Varois (pink wine, capacity: 75 cl or
• magnum)
• Château d'Ollières classique IGP Coteaux Varois (red wine, capacity : 75 cl )
• Château d'Ollières Prestige (pink wine, capacity : 75 cl or magnum)