Tucked away behind a rich, lush forest, the Château les Crostes is nestled in the sumptuous yet graceful Provence region in France. Its fields extend generously over the ridges and valleys of the town of Lorgues. The enchanting location, coupled with the illustrious history of the grounds, play an integral role in the distinctive allure of the Château les Crostes.
The grounds were first put to use as early as the Middle Ages, intended initially for olive cultivation, encompassing two hundred hectares of land. It was not until 1986, that the vineyard was established under the impulse of a passionate French investor who planted fifty-five hectares. The vineyard slowly experienced an evolution, the older facilities replaced by a distinctive, fully automated, and modern air conditioned chai d'élevage (or wine storehouse).
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Slowly but surely, production at the Château les Crostes emerged and attracted the attention of international clientele. It was in 1998 that a German holding company saw the great promise in the vineyard, taking over and reinvesting in the grounds, with the intention to produce the prestigious Côtes de Provence.
Undoubtedly, the management saw the potential for Côtes de Provence to be up to par with the very best wines in the region. The Château les Crostes was put in the expert hands of Ted Garin, the celebrated Provencal oenologist and Linda Schaller-Gallet, as the Commercial Manager. Together they assembled a team of passionate and dedicated experts from across Europe to get to work on the challenge ahead of them.
It is with painstaking work that a wine of such excellence is made. Manual vintages are made exclusively for small boxes, so not to crush the berries. The vineyard is completely palisaded and cultivated to ensure that the grounds can enjoy the maximum period of sunshine. The care and treatments are carefully balanced to be both minimal and optimal.
The wine is a product of three delectable and complementing parts; a part of the volume originates from Sémillon and Rolle for the whites, which is a rare triumph in a region where this colour only represents on average, only 5% of wine. It is Syrah, Grenache, and Cabernet that give the soft and aromatic red wines and Cinsault and Grenache, provide the fresh, elegant, and very pale rosés.
It is within the cellar that the patience of the team is tested, as they begin to collect only the most exquisite juices for the production of the Prestige cuvée of the three colours. The vinification is made in ultramodern stainless tubs, where the temperature is self-regulated to ensure the maximum aromas of the wines. Followed by a slight temperature raise for red at first, and then in barrels.
Whilst the Château is renowned for the Côtes de Provence, the generous grounds have also given way for the production of a sparkling wine. The yield is at a quality which makes it ideal as an aperitif or even, a brandy that is aged for three years.
