The Wine Estate
For over 2,000 years, the Beaulieu vineyard has flourished inside the crater of Provence’s only volcano. This ancient setting provides a truly unique environment for viticulture, allowing Villa Baulieu to craft exceptional wines that tell a story of history, passion, and savoir-faire.
A Unique Terroir
The Baulieu estate is inextricably linked to the rich soil on which it lies. In the crater of an ancient volcano, 400 metres above sea level, the estate is enriched by basalt, limestone, clay-limestone, and marl – a unique soil variety that provides the perfect conditions for our different grape varieties to thrive. Altitude and geography each have their own role to play. The range of temperatures from day to night enhances the ageing potential of both our white and red wines, and with a location overlooking the Durance River, the Luberon and Montagne Sainte-Victoire, our vines are perfectly situated for optimal growth.
The art of savoir-faire
At Villa Baulieu, every step – from the vine to the bottle – is handled with meticulous care. Our traditional farming methods, which emphasise integrated agriculture, ensure that we produce wines with distinctive character and authenticity. This approach not only protects the environment but also guarantees the health and well-being of the vineyards themselves.
Exceptional wines
Celebrated for their complexity and superb ageing potential, our wines perfectly reflect the dedication and skill invested in the winemaking process. Wine production is split evenly between red and white wines, using Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah for reds, and Sauvignon, Rolle (Vermentino), and Semillon for whites. Grapes are handpicked at peak ripeness from September to late October and barrel aged to enhance the complexity of the wines without ever overpowering the grapes’ natural flavours.
Beyond the vines
Our dedication to the land goes far beyond viticulture. Throughout the estate, we take expert care of almond groves, truffle groves, and 100 bee hives – part of a rewarding partnership with the OFA (French Apicology Observatory). Our polyfloral honeys reveal notes of thyme, rosemary, white truffle, bramble, canary clover, gorse, lavender, and almond, while the bees contribute to the pollination of our almond trees, resulting in a successful September harvest. In the truffle grove, 800 trees span 4.5 hectares of downy and green oaks, and we leave the truffle hunting to the expert: our specially trained Border Collie. You’ll find fresh truffles from the estate in our on-site shop, and available by special order.