Chateau Peyrassol Le Clos, Cotes De Provence, France 2023

Beneath its very delicate colour with hints of purple, Clos Peyrassol reveals a complex nose: notes of white flowers, heather and vine peach combine to form an elegant bouquet. The robust, rounded attack develops into a beautiful depth of palate. It is seductive in its smoothness and vivacity, its all-enveloping roundedness and its remarkably long-lasting aroma.

It offers a delicious accompaniment to a carpaccio of scallops with lime, braised prawns with Espelette pepper or grilled sea bream.

A thousand years of history

Before producing some of the best rosés in the whole of Provence, La Commanderie de Peyrassol lived through an extraordinary history unlike that of any other estate. Archaeological findings show that human occupation dates back to the beginning of the Iron Age (1,000 years BC).

The Gallo-Roman period has left even more evidence, especially with the remains of an architectural complex with massive walls which must have been used for agricultural purposes. But, undoubtedly, La Commanderie de Peyrassol entered the history books at the beginning of the 13th Century.

In 1204, the Count of Provence, Alphonse II, donated the estate to the Order of the Knights Templar. This is when “Peirasson” became one of the many Templar commanderies in Provence. The life of the soldier-monks was punctuated by prayers, military training, land reclamation, tax collection and welcoming pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. The 1,000 hectares of arable land, pastures, woodland, and scrubland part of the estate were used for a variety of agricultural purposes. Cereals, vegetables, olive groves, animal rearing… ensured the livelihood of the small community. The vineyard was an integral part of this polyculture. It produced a wine, which was not yet a rosé, traces of which can be found in a parchment dated 1256 kept in Marseille, reporting the sale of “44 mirolles of good frank wine”.

The estate was purached In 2001 by Philippe Austruy, a wine lover, besotted with perfection and respectful of the memories that inhabit this historic estate.

This was the beginning of a new era for La Commanderie de Peyrassol, and the Château Peyrassol vineyard, thanks to the new owner who fell in love with the estate, the landscapes, and its history.