What once began as a holiday retreat has grown twenty years later into a 120-hectare organic wine estate. The inauguration of the brand new chai or wine cellar is the provisional icing on the cake at Les Davids in the southern French Luberon.
In their search for a holiday home in the South of France, Sophie Le Clercq, Chairman of the Board of CIT Blaton and founder of JCX-immo, and her husband and artist Yves Zurstrassen ended up in Viens in 2000. They bought the property from a shepherd who let his flocks graze there. Although it was initially intended as a retreat from their busy life in Brussels, it has grown into a 120-hectare wine estate. “Sitting still is not Sophie’s strong point,” laughs Yves Zurstrassen.
Thanks to the sheep and goats, the terrain originally looked more like a lunar landscape than a vineyard. But the panoramic view of the valley, which lies on the border between the Ventoux and the Monts de Vaucluse, and the presence of natural ponds soon won them over. The accessibility by TGV – from Brussels-Midi you can reach Avignon in less than five hours, and from there it is still a good hour’s drive – was a plus for Sophie Le Clercq, who does not like flying.
Biological polyculture
Little by little, the first fruit trees brought back apricots. Soon there were so many that the family – Sophie and Yves have eight children together – started making jam from them. They sold it at the side of the road. In 2006 the first experiments with vines began, followed in 2008 by the first bottle of wine. “Since we are located at an altitude of 580 metres, there was initially some scepticism about our chances of success. When our wine proved promising in 2010, we decided to continue”, says Sophie Le Clercq.
After fifteen years, the domain counts not 4 but 21 hectares of vines, and the higher location has become an advantage. “Due to climate warming the conditions for growing wine here have improved. Moreover, unlike in the valley itself where large domains like Châteauneuf-du-Pape are located, we have no direct neighbours. Because the estate is surrounded by woods, our plants are less prone to disease and we can work in a completely organic way,” says Le Clercq. “Thanks to the three ponds and a drip irrigation system, we can always supply the vineyards with water.”
Since Sophie Le Clercq values ecology, biodiversity and respect for nature, she has consciously chosen for an organic polyculture on the different types of soil that the domain is rich in. At Les Davids, there are not only nine varieties of white grapes and ten varieties of blue, but also one and a half hectares of vegetables, olive trees, lavender, cherry trees, apple trees and truffle oaks.
Dancing architecture
Le Clercq recently had an impressive, yet sober wine cellar built to receive visitors. For this, she called on the French architect Marc Barani, whose credits include the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie (2019) in Arles. The highest point of the domain was chosen as the location. Because the chai stands partly against the rocky hill , the interior remains nice and fresh and dark. “The wide cantilever of the panoramic terrace also helps to keep the indoor temperature under control. At the same time, on the one hand you have a magnificent view of the domain and the surrounding mountains, and on the other hand of the concrete wine barrels inside,” says Barani.
With its ochre colour, the 2,130-square-metre volume blends into its surroundings as if it had always been there. “Together with a local concrete company, we carried out tests to approximate the colour of the surrounding rocks as closely as possible. The wood structure in the concrete also enhances the natural look,” says Barani.
For the eleven-metre long fresco, Yves Zurstrassen, who exhibited at Bozar in 2019, created a work of art for the Brussels metro stop Weststation and also has a studio on the property, found inspiration from Miles Davis’ song Fiesta and the colour of red wine. “I wanted to add a more lyrical element to the architecture. It’s a cheerful touch in an otherwise rather minimalist setting,” says Zurstrassen. “The fresco by Yves makes the building dance,” Barani adds.
Not only architecturally, but also technically, the new chai speaks to the imagination. The wine cellar, for example, has been built in such a way that you can make wine by gravity, and therefore without pumps. On the first floor, the grapes are brought in, sorted and then poured into the wooden or concrete wine barrels. Once the wine is mature enough, it is transported through pipes to the cellar where it is bottled. This rather exceptional method has the great advantage that the wine comes less in contact with oxygen, so that the aromas and colour are better preserved. The tulip-shaped concrete vats ensure a stable temperature and, thanks to their porosity, a subtle addition of oxygen, making the wine more supple and at the same time more complex, and keeping the flavour closer to the terroir. The long life of the concrete barrels fits perfectly with the sustainable vision of Le Clercq.
Helcome
In the meantime, Les Davids produces 75,000 bottles of wine a year, spread over nine varieties, and Sophie Le Clercq has gathered a whole team around her family. In the new chai, visitors can taste and buy all wines. For groups there are formulas with an initiation to wine assembly or food pairing. For this, a Brussels-Italian chef gets to work with vegetables grown on the estate, local cheeses and home-baked bread.
For those who want to enjoy absolute peace and quiet for a longer period, you can book a stay in one of the four “hameaux”, starting from six persons. In recent years, Leclercq has transformed these small hamlets, which have been reduced to ruins, into authentic holiday homes with a swimming pool, tennis court, bowling alley, jacuzzi, sauna and massage facilities. In the coming years, it intends to further develop the resort facilities on the estate.
The red thread between the various elements of Les Davids, according to Sophie Le Clercq, is the pleasure. The pleasure of being able to take the time to see things grow, to be surrounded by the beautiful things in life and, above all, to share them. So visitors can expect a warm welcome.
All information about the wine estate, the E-shop and staying at Les Hameaux can be found here: http://www.lesdavids.fr
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