Domaine de Valdition,
a Deep Love of Grapes

Situated in the north-west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, the Alpilles mountain range has an astonishingly strong identity: shaped by white rocks dotted with pine and holm oak forests, the landscape offers an incomparable diversity of colours and scents, typical of the garrigue.

In this Regional Natural Park of the Alpilles, where traditional crops are still grown, vines and olive trees reign supreme, alongside small villages and limestone cliffs; a natural heritage with deep roots to which the Valdition team is very attached, a heritage that the estate perpetuates in the cultivation of grapes and olives. The wines and olive oil of the Valdition estate are the fruit of permanent and meticulous work aimed at respecting the terroir and the quality of the product. The vineyard, which covers 90 hectares, has a wide range of grape varieties. However, the estate is more interested in quality and prefers low yields to allow it to play with the diversity of its grape varieties. The best way to encourage creativity!

And for good reason - the list is long!

Black grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Marselan, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot and Syrah.

White grape varieties: Bourboulenc, Chardonnay, Chasan, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains, Roussanne, Vermentino, Viognier and Pinot Gris.

This charming estate, typical of the Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur region between Orgon and Eygalières, near Saint Rémy de Provence, enhances the terroir while respecting the grapes at every stage of the wine-making process. From the very beginning, the team was keen to commit to an environmental approach by switching in 2006 from an integrated farming system to an organic farming system that complies with the European Organic Farming (AB) label.

The use of weed killers is banned, and the team prefers to work the soil mechanically to promote aeration. As for mineral fertilisers from agrochemicals, which are a major source of pollution of the water table and waterways, the team prefers to use composted organic matter to nourish the soil. Slow and sustainable remineralisation with respect for the environment, the grapes themselves and therefore the consumer: this culture makes it possible to obtain tastier berries while preserving their organoleptic quality and revealing the full expression of a terroir. 

No need to search: all of Provence is here!

Alpilles IGP, Vallon des Anges, L'Oratoire: The Domaine produces red, white and rosé wines in a range of cuvées, from the most emblematic to the most special, notably the Cuvée du Batônier rosé or the Cuvée des Filles in white wine.

This is also what differentiates an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) from an IGP (Protected Geographical Indication): as Alpilles is one of the 75 IGPs spread throughout France, the Domaine de Valdition team allows itself the freedom to develop its know-how with innovative blends of IGP grape varieties, something that is not possible under an AOC. While both are a guarantee of quality and allow a product to be associated with its place of origin by meeting very strict specifications, the IGP allows the winegrowers more freedom.

Indeed, although the eligibility criteria for the IGP label are controlled by a college of independent and very rigorous experts, they nevertheless authorise the innovative blending of grape varieties:

IGP Criteria:

• - The grapes come from the IGP territory.
• - The yield is limited to ensure quality production.
• - Quality control is applied at every stage of the winemaking process.
• - Innovative blending of grape varieties is possible.

To distinguish them, we can define AOC wines as being part of the tradition, while IGP wines are moving towards modernity, a freedom that is successful for Domaine de Validition.