Domaine Pas Du Cerf

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With its name going back to 16th-century stag hunting by King Francis I,

Château Pas du Cerf is a longstanding family vineyard. Since 1848, eight generations of the Gualtieri family have followed one another in the craft of winemaking. Today, Geneviève and Patrick, together with their daughters, Aurore and Diane, pursue the family project with the aim of producing high-quality wines.

The vineyard encompasses nearly two hundred acres of south-facing hillsides on schistose soil in the heart of the Massif des Maures area. The family is committed to staying close to nature, using organic manure and other methods to produce top-quality grapes.

The entire area is a natural preserve in the heart of Provence.

The domaine’s naturally cold, semi-underground cellar receives grapes by gravity and contains sophisticated equipment. Two pneumatic pressing machines and a series of thermo-controlled stainless steel tanks stand beside a wine storehouse equipped with oak barrels. The storage and bottling facilities are isolated and fully air-conditioned, ensuring the preservation of the wines.

Variation of bled off rosés wines are made at the estate, from distinct blends of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvédre, Cinsault and Tibouren.

Philosophy

The most popular one is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvédre named Pas du Cerf Cotes de Provence rosé.

The Pas du Cerf rosé is salmon pale pink color, shows delicate aromas of white peaches, just-picked strawberries and floral notes. The mouth is complex with raspberry and wild strawberry notes, wild herbs, citrus and wet-stones flavors. It has a refreshing acidity – thanks to the altitude of the vineyards – and a round, long and vibrant finish.”

A fair amount of red wines is also produced at Pas du Cerf, either blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvigon, three red-wine grape varieties increasingly used in combination in southern France and more traditional blends of Grenache and Mourvédre.

Wines made from the cabernet-Syrah blend blend typically have aromas of stewed plums, black cherries, blueberries, black olives and even a hint of spiced dark chocolate and the Grenache-Mouvédre blend show more structure, thyme and rosemary notes and spiciness on the palate.

Quality is the motto at Pas du Cerf and an on going project is to produce their own corks from the 700 acres of cork oak tree forests surrounding the winery.