Patricia Alexandre, Domaine des Peyre: from pens to vines

This week, we took you to Luberon, to meet the winemaker, Patricia Alexandre, former Editorial Director for Gault & Millau and owner of Domaine des Peyre.

Paparazzi, La Gazette, Bonne Presse...You can't help but make the link with the world of press with such cuvée names. And why: their "mother", Patricia Alexandre was Editorial Director of the newspaper 'L’Hôtellerie Restauration' for 17 years, then for Gault & Millau gastronomical guides for 10 years. "First cuvée in 2013"   Nowadays, Patricia doesn't just talk about wines, she makes them. Her adventure at Domaine des Peyre started in 2012. When Patricia and her husband were in their country home in Luberon, an opportunity arose. "We were offered the possibility of buying an old 18th Century farm built on the remains of a Roman villa. Grapes were produced there with AOP Ventoux appellation. There was no vinification winery but archaeological digs had uncovered the presence of a cellar and grape maturing room, recalls Patricia. So a crazy idea popped into their heads: create a wine growing estate from scratch. She immediately called her daughter, Anne, who was an oenologist and Technical Director of a Bordeaux group owning several classified grands crus, who confirmed that the estate had huge potential. Patricia and her husband then started the work to transform the farm into a wine growing estate. "We took possession of the site in October 2012, obtained the building permit in June 2013 and started the work in July 2013. The first harvest took place in 2013", said Patricia. "Not long after, we bought a small wine growing estate: Domaine de Faverot, located 5 kilometres away from Domaine des Peyre. This allowed us to benefit from the AOC Ventoux appellation", explained Patricia.   Wines produced in integrated wine growing   Domaine des Peyre covers a vineyard of close to 32 hectares. Associated to the Luberon, Ventoux appellations and to the protected geographical indication (PGI) of Méditerranée, the estate's wines are all produced in integrated wine growing (a method that uses the phytosanitary treatment of grapevines only when necessary). This diversity of terroirs allows Patricia to offer the three colours of wines: light and fruity rosé typical of Provence, gourmet red produced from Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, and delicate and flowery white wines. "I am concentrating on producing expressive and warm wines", says the winegrower, who would like to switch to organic wine growing in the near future. Read the full article