We fell in love with the elegant, complex, wines produced at Chateau Pas du Cerf when we discovered them at a Paris wine fair this year. The rosés are classic Provence – dry, delicate and beautifully pale. They are complemented by zesty, mineral white wines and intense, rich reds.

Chateau Pas du Cerf is a family-owned, female-run winery in the La Londe subzone of Provence. The estate has been passed from generation to generation of the Gualtieri family, and is now run by the eighth generation – sisters Aurore, Diane and Marion.

Fifty hectares of organic vineyards surround the winery, planted with eleven of the thirteen permitted Provencal grape varieties. The estate’s coastal location is key to the elegant, complex style of the wines it produces: the Mediterranean Sea has a moderating impact on the region’s temperatures, allowing south-facing vines like those at Chateau Pas du Cerf to ripen at a slower pace. This slower ripening allows for the development of more aromatic compounds in the grapes, leading to wines with a more complex flavour.

Schist soils are also a unique feature of La Londe. Rare in Provence, these soils are rocky and poor in nutrients – highly desirable for quality wine production. The schist is also said to contribute a stony minerality to the wines.

As you would expect from a winery in Provence, the majority of Chateau Pas du Cerf’s production is rosé. Cut into rock and reaching 10m below the ground, it is naturally temperature-controlled, and each tank is equipped with its own cooling system. Keeping things cool is vital to the elegant, aromatic style of wine favoured at Chateau Pas du Cerf.

The wines are produced in an unoaked style, allowing the beautifully delicate aromas and flavours to shine. Across the white, red and rosé wines there is freshness and vibrancy, together with a characteristic herbal complexity. These are beautiful wines which have a real sense of place, expressing the elegance and refinement we have come to expect from Provence.