Chateau Leoube

Château Léoube is located in Cape Bénat in the Var region of Provence in the South of France, with a history dating back to the 14th century. It was bought by the current owners Lord and Lady Anthony and Carole Bamford in 1997. It is the largest privately owned coastal estate on the Côte d'Azur. Vines had originally been planted here by the Romans, but at the time of the Bamfords' acquisition, although it had been owned by the same family for years, they were only making wine in small quantities. The property was completely renovated with state-of-the-art equipment installed in the winery, and the vineyards were overhauled and reconstructed. They sought advice from the renowned winemaker Jean-Jacques Ott, whose Clos Mireille estate was right next door, and his son Romain became their winemaker. The Bamfords are passionate about the environment [they founded Daylesford organic farm and farm shops in 2002] and farm organically, gaining organic certification in 2010. The 560 hectare estate has 70 hectares of vines planted in a coastal bay on a mix of schist, sand and colluvium soils. Provence is a region historically and primarily associated with rosé wines, but the Bamfords are innovative producers and in 2002 discussed with Romain Ott the idea of making the first red Bordeaux-style wine in Provence, using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. It took nearly 10 years to create a wine that lived up to their exacting standards, but their vision finally came to fruition in 2011, resulting in the stunning “vin du garde” Léoube Collector. As some grape varieties are used for this wine which are not on the Côte de Provence list allowed under AOC regulations, the wine is labelled as a Vin du France – so you could call it a Super-Provençal wine! Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Rolle, Sémillon and Ugni Blanc are also grown and are used to produce a multi award-winning range of sparkling, white, rosé and red wines, all beautifully presented. These are enchanting and elegant, floral and mineral wines with strong maritime influences that express the terroir of the Provence vineyards.