Vines and Bastide in the countryside of Aix-en-Provence
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Dear wine lovers,
Situated north-west of the pretty town that will celebrate, this year, the 100th anniversary of Paul Cézanne's passing, are the vineyards of Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence*.
Just like Aix-en-Provence is definitely a cultural town with its annual music festival and its famous painters, the wines from this area are also very eclectic, influenced by a long history dated from Romans, Monks in the middle age and the famous Roi René in the XVIth century.
Famous people like the Bordeaux winemaker Georges Brunet who in the 60's, decided and succeeded in raising Cabernet Sauvignon in Château Vignelaure, Jean Bordonado who created Château La Coste after he had to flee from North Africa, Peter Fisher from Château Revelette or more recently France Careau Gachereau from Château du Seuil have also marked the history of this appellation.
This diversity of characters can also be seen in the various terroirs and eventually in the wines, with roses reds and whites.
I like the roses of Château du Seuil. They are charming and elegant like her owner, France. The reds from Château Vignelaure are surely the best of the area with Domaine d'Eole. The cuvée Léa will fit perfectly with this garlic lamb chop recipe***marinated in soy sauce. When I was an auditor, I had the chance to participate to the evaluation of Vignelaure and we had to question ourselves regarding lots of old vintages of red wines in stock since we did not know their real value. Tasting them, I can tell you that we did not have to depreciate them. As for the white, Château Revelette makes some stunning ones, with the acidity given by the North slopes of Sainte Victoire Mountain.
**All this diversity can be discovered by doing the whole vineyard tour. Whenever you are in the area, I will be happy to assist you for a fun day in vines of Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence**.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
PODCASTS :
Listen to this whole edition in French (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
Listen to this whole edition in English (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
See Coteaux Aix-en-Provence on a French wine map
*Listen to Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence
**Toute cette diversité peut être découverte en faisant le tour des vignobles. Quand vous serez dans la région, je serai heureux de vous assister pour un agréable tour des vignes des Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence**.
Before seeing it with your own eyes, explore the gardens that inspired Cezanne's paintings :
***Garlic lamb chop recipe
Ingredients for 4 people :
4 lamb chops
Soy sauce
Fresh garlic
4 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper
1 can (8 ounces) of tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Preparation:
Marinade lamb chops in sauja sauce and fresh garlic for 12 hours.
Melt butter and add it with other ingredients. Poor the sauja sauce and stir. Put lamb chops, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 350° for 1 hour. You can also cook them on the BBQ and put them back after to the hot warm marinade with all the ingredients.
