Provence & Aix-en-provence

Provence, the coastal district just east of the Rhone and west of the Maritime Alps, has been settled for millenia. The main city of the region, right at the mouth of the Rhone, is Marseille, founded in the 7th century BC by the Greeks as Massilia, making it the oldest city in France and one of the oldest in Europe.

At the conclusion of the Punic Wars (Rome v. Carthage) in 146 BC, Rome found itself in possession of Carthage’s Iberian colonies, including Cartegena (Carthago Nova, New Carthage) in Murcia, all the way up the coast to Barcelona (possibly named after Hamilcar Barca, the Carthigenian ruler who founded the city (and was also Hannibal’s father).

So, having control of much of central and northern Italy, and then coastal Spain, the Romans did what Romans do- they slung a paved road from Rome to Cartegena. And in order to do that, they needed control over the coastal route across southern Gaul. And having conquered their first territory outside Italy, they named it Provincia Romana, The Roman Province, which over time shortened to Provincia, today’s Provence. The latin spoken there has evolved into today’s Provencal, a dialect of Occitan (the language of Languedoc- the Langue d’Oc, ie the region in which Occitan is the primary language)

les Vignerons d’Aix en provence

The genteel southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, also known Aix (Latin Aquae Sextiae), was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs. After the fall of the Empire, tt was occupied by the Visigoths in 477. Over the succeeding century, the town was repeatedly plundered by the Franks and Lombards, and was occupied by the Saracens in 731 and by Charles Martel in 737. Aix, which during the Middle Ages was the capital of Provence, reached its zenith in the 12th-14th centuries, when, it became an artistic center and seat of learning. Aix passed to the crown of France with the rest of Provence in 1487, and the legislative Parliament of Provence, established by Louis XII in 1501, existed until 1789.

Today the city is a center of the arts, a university town and is known for the paintings of Paul Cezanne of the city and nearby Mont Saint-Victoire.

Coteaux d’Aix en Provence is one of nine appellations in the Provence region, and one of the best known.

LES VIGNERONS D’AIX EN PROVENCE

The winery was founded in 1925 and today comprises around thirty winegrowers, including one woman. Today three generations of passionate winemakers work together to share ancestral savoire-faire and modern winemaking techniques.

The vineyards of the Aix-en-Provence winemakers extend over more than 625 acres, spread across several plots in different communes around Aix-en-Provence, at the foot of the Mont Sainte-Victoire.

The soils are somewhat variable, but consist largely of clay-lime marls. Les Vignerons have planted around a dozen grape varieties to capitalize on their various terroirs and microclimates.

The wine

We focus on one wine: their “Mediterranee” Rose. 100% Grenache, with a delicate pale pink hue. On the nose, it offers vibrant aromas of fresh strawberries, whitepeach, and a hint of rose petals. The palate is crisp andrefreshing, revealing a lively blend of red berries and citrus, underscored by a subtle minerality and a whisper oMediterranean herbs. The finish is clean and elegant, leaving a lingering impression of summer fruit.