In the 1980's, when Alexandre Castellan founder of the Domaine du Val de Gilly, settled on the estate, vine cultivation was only secondary in comparison with the forest works and olive cultivation. The next generation made up their minds to reverse the situation especially after the freezing of the olive trees in 1956, and they started to concentrate on vine cultivation. These wines from Domain de Valle de Gilly are incredibly special, we have been buying wines from them for the last 20 years. Their vineyard situation is the most amazing vista. Surrounded by the Mure mountains that protect the vines from the ferocious Mistral winds from the Rhone valley that can wreck a vineyard in minutes. The Val de Gilly is in a bowl and has sunshine 300 days a year, it is exaggerated by the bowl effect. On another plus factor the rains have washed down the minerals over the years into the soils and left alluvium deposits of granite and limestone which bring minerals to the flavours of the wines. The Bay of St Tropez is 2KM away and the evening breezes from the Mediterranean provide a welcoming coolness to the grapes.

The grapes are carefully selected and harvested, followed by separate vinification of all the grape varietals with a short maceration time to gain the delicate rosé colour. They are cold racked, and fermentation takes place at low temperatures to retain as much freshness as possible. The wines stay in chilled stainless steel thermo regulated vats for 5 months. Each of the different wines are then tasted and the percentage defined each year before blending.

Perfect for Provencal style food and more exotic cuisine. Or simply as an aperitif!