With winemaking evidence dating to Roman times, enriched by a bastide built in 1682 by the Bishop of Aix, current owner, Irish entrepreneur Paddy McKillen has developed Château La Coste into a 3,000-acre community of wine, art and architecture based in Le-Puy-Sainte-Réparade, near Aix-en-Provence. La Coste in another time was La Côte (or hillside). Inspired by the wild nature, Provençal light and size of the property, Paddy’s vision was to build a sustainable wine estate in the Provence, esthetically and functionally in harmony with the wild landscape and peaceful surroundings, and producing world class wines using the best technology and talent possible, while respecting the soil, vines and biodiversity for sustainable growth. In 2006, he appointed Matthieu Cosse, who came with reputation established in Cahors at Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve, as the Oenology Engineer to transform the vineyards and upgrade the winemaking skills. A detailed soil analysis was performed to ensure best matching of variety to soil type. Château La Coste has been organically certified (French AB) since 2009 and having followed biodynamic principles for a while, the team is now set to engage in the biodynamic conversion process. With ‘carte blanche’ to do whatever he felt necessary to achieve the high standards set by Paddy, Matthieu has made significant improvements to the quality of the wines, especially at the high end cuvées: Bellugue, Les Pentes Douces, Grand Vin and Grande Cuvée. Average yields are kept low, with 35 hl/ha for reds, 40hl/ha for whites and 50 hl/ha for rosés.
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| Grande Cuvee |
The Grande Cuvée red is luscious wine made from 50% old vine Syrah and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, produced at very low yields, seeing 18 months in a mixture of new, one and two year oak barrels. This is a relatively new cuvée by Matthieu, limited to about 1,000 bottle production at the moment. The 2012 vintage still has some chewy ripe tannin, wrapped in the velvety texture to resolve, but the ageing potential is evident. The Grand Vin white is an IGP wine, as it has incorporated 10% Chardonnay and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, to lend aromatic familiarity and fleshy body to crisp Vermentino (60%), still retaining sound minerality and remarkable freshness from a land that basks in glorious Provencal sun. While excessive dryness is not an issue today, the challenge to nurture young vines to reach their potential remains.
Inaugurated in 2008, the state-of-the-art gravity-fed cuverie, designed by Jean Nouvel, allows the winemaking process to follow the estate’s philosophy of nurturing this natural expression of terroirs. The two giant cuverie buildings, made of corrugated aluminium with insulation, measure 10 metres high and 17 metres deep below ground to house the vats. Although renewable energy is not a reality yet at La Coste, Paddy and the team have already installed a water purification plant and are studying waste recycling to further reduce carbon footprint.
Visiting the Château any day, one will see visitors and families enjoying a day out at the estate, which boasts a collection of modern artworks and creations of architecture by artists and architects from around the world, dotted over the premises. One needs to take a tour to visit all of them – 2 hours are recommended for this walk. The Tadao Ando Centre, laid out on a V-shaped plan, conceived by the eponymous architect is the art centre of the estate, housing the reception area, bookshop and cafe. The Japanese master’s signature elements, especially the interplay of exterior and interior spaces, are incorporated into this structure to create an experience of light and space in nature. The centre overlooks an infinity pool that hides the underground carpark. I was particularly impressed by the Oak Room by Andy Goldsworthy: a hemisphere-shaped cavern dug inside the sides of the hill, with the walls lined with continuous oak tree branches. One needed to adjust the eyes with help from the natural light coming in through the narrow opening, to be able to admire this artistic wonder in stunned silence. One could not miss the giant Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeois in the infinity pool, Frank O. Gehry’s Pavilion de Musique across the field, the hilltop small chapel by Tadao Ando, or Sean Scully’s Wall of Light Cubed, and many more. The art and architecture project at La Coste has developed in an organic way over the last 10 years. Each artist or architect was invited to La Coste by Paddy to experience the beauty of the landscape and was encouraged to find his/her own unique spot on the premises, and to design a piece of work that would best express the location and the experience. One can say the landscape of La Coste is an evolving one, every visiting artist or architect adding a distinct and unique feature to the estate.
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| Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeois |
Local organic and seasonal fresh produce is integral to the design of the Provencal and Mediterranean-themed menus at both dining outlets at La Coste (the more casual outdoor La Terrasse and the more urbane Tadao Ando Café). I was delighted to see La Tarte Tropézienne on the menu too, for that extra Mediterranean touch!
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| The V-shaped Tadao Ando Centre and Jean Nouvel's Cuverie, view from an altitude |
Paddy has already embarked on the next project which will see his hospitality expertise applied to La Coste, through the development of Villa La Coste consisting of 28 individual villas, with a gourmet restaurant, club house and spa, on a hillside site overseeing the vineyards. We were told La Coste should welcome its first resident visitors as early as Easter 2016! To arrange a visit or reservation, http://chateau-la-coste.com/en/
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