Château Les Valentines
Not far from the picturesque towns of Nice and Saint-Tropez, the owners of Château Les Valentines, Gilles and Pascale Pons, produce wines that reflect the summery lightness and intense sensuality of the beautiful Provence countryside.
Ever since the two owners turned their backs on the IT industry in Paris in 1997, they have dedicated their hearts and souls to the wines of Château Les Valentines. The estate is more than a century old and was recently extended by a modern building. The château and one of its wines are named after the two children Valentin and Clémentine. The former owners were so-called grape growers who sold their grapes to the local cooperative for further processing.
Located above the vast bay by La Londe-les-Maures, in the AOC Côtes de Provence, 35 hectares are planted with Ecocert-certified organic Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tibouren, Rolle, Clairette and Ugni Blanc. These are old vines at an average age of 30 years. They produce rosé cuvées such as the elegant and mineral Château Les Valentines and Le Caprice de Clémentine, its fruity and delicate little brother. The Pons family vinify a total of 75% of their grapes into rosé wines, 20% into red wine and 5% into white wine.
Rosé wines from Château Les Valentines
from Château Les Valentines
from Château Les Valentines
The vines enjoy a spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea and the offshore island Hyères. They grow right at the foot of the Massif des Maures, just a few kilometres from the beaches of the Côte d’Azur. It would seem that Gilles and Pascale have perfectly captured this spirit of yearning in a glass. Their wines embody the liquid essence of this landscape and the Mediterranean climate: more than 300 days of sunshine per year, a cool blowing mistral, the Mediterranean Sea, the mountains in the background and a barren, rocky soil form a unique terroir. These conditions result in relatively low yields, but provide a much higher quality. And you can taste it. Santé!
For more details on the winery, please visit www.lesvalentines.com.
Producer
Merryvale Vineyards
At a young age, Jack Schlatter travelled from Switzerland to Dallas in the 1950s to work in the cotton trade. He later moved to Mexico and São Paulo (as a coffee tester) and back to Zurich to develop the cotton business in the Eastern bloc. But he always had one foot in Dallas and entered the real estate business there. The wine business also appealed to him early on. But it was a while before he met Bill Harlan, the owner of Merryvale.
Maria Casanovas
The Bodega or Cava Maria Casanovas is located in the heart of the Penedès, in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the centre of Cava production. It is owned by the Casanovas family and managed by three children of Maria Casanovas. Jordi and Jacint are responsible for the vineyards and the cellar, Rosa for administration and marketing.
