The Baux-de-Provence wines were awarded their AOP (protected designation of origin) 20 years ago this year
and the owners of its 12 wine estates will be celebrating enthusiastically. We met Béatrice Joyce, treasurer of the appellation's bureau. She's inspired by her vines and talks of them with eloquence. She finds the very quintessence of the Alpilles in these wines made by men and women deeply attached to their vineyards. "Our appellation is special in that all its estate owners are people who turned to winemaking as a way to achieve something, to fulfil themselves." They include a journalist, a lawyer, a politician and a manufacturer. Some were born and raised here, others not. "It's still a rather secret appellation. You discover it the way you read a poem; each estate adds a couplet." Tasting notes describe the reds as structured, full-bodied and fruity. The rosés are said to be best drunk at table, accompanying a meal with their aromas of red fruit and spice. The hallmarks ofthe whites are white flowers and honey. Almost all the estates are run on organic or biodynamic principles, a further mark of exception for wines that can deservedly be called "mirrors of the soul".
Renseignements domaines
et manifestations sur :
www.lesvinsdesbaux.com
By Valérie Rouger
Côteweb 2021, création de site Internet sur Nice