© Mas Sainte Berthe
Mas Sainte Berthe Vineyard, Les Baux
Estate producing AOC Les Baux de Provence and olive oil
40 hectares of vineyards at the foot of the Baux rock formation with various grape varieties, both red (Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan) and white (Grenache blanc, Rolle, sauvignon, Ugni blanc and Roussane). They also have a 5.5-hectares olive grove.
The Baux plain was already dotted with a number of working farms by the 17th century, and what is now St. Berthe was once known as the 'la maison aux champs', then the property of Lord de Mollières. There is mention of a chapel in process of construction in 1539, adjoining the main building of this former farm. It was dedicated to Sainte Berthe, the patron saint of fever victims. Every year, on the 1st of January and the first Sunday of May, the people of the region would make a pilgrimage in hope of finding relief from fevers, drinking the water from a nearby spring, 'la font du fibre' (fever spring), to which they would add a pinch of the stone powder, obtained by scraping the foot of the saint's statue.
In 1950, the David family acquired the estate. Planting grapevines for wine commenced in 1960, and in 1976, the cellar opened its doors. They produce red, white and rosé wines.
The cellar is open every day from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00. They close in Christmas and New Year's day.
