HISTORY OF DOMAINE: The name of the estate is the first indication of its long, illustrious past. Located in the heart of Provence, near routes traveled by Crusaders in the early Middle Ages, the Commanderie de Peyrassol was founded by the Knights of Templar who were dedicated to protecting the Crusaders en route to, and in, the Holy Land. The first recorded harvest took place in 1256 and winemaking has continued uninterrupted throughout the centuries. When the Templars were brought down in 1311 by the King of France, who was nervous of their power and jealous of their wealth, the Knights of Malta became the fortunate owners of the Commanderie. They remained in control, flawlessly maintaining the vineyards until the French Revolution, when it was taken over by the State. The Rigord family purchased the estate in 1870. The current proprietor, Francoise Rigord, has been making the wines at Peyrassol since 1981 and has now been joined by her son, Francois.

COMPOSITION OF DOMAINE: The commanderie is located in the hills of the "arriére pays", or backcountry, north of St. Tropez and Hyères near the village of Le Luc. The estate is surrounded by 165 hectares of Mediterranean forest with 65 hectares of vineyards being cultivated on this dry, rocky clay and limestone based soil. When Francoise Rigord took over, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon were added to the Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault already grown. Rolle and Ugni Blanc are the main white grape varieties, along with some Semillon and Clairette. The Rigords are extremely conscientious about the surrounding environment and the delicate balance of the local Mediterranean ecosystem. They use no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides in their vineyards. Organic foliar sprays are used to help prevent chlorosis (nutrient deficiencies) and sheep manure is the only fertilizer used after the planting. The age of the vines, the rocky terrain, and the hot, dry climate establish conditions that severely restrict yields. As a consequence, harvest levels average between 25 and 40 hl/ha depending on the vineyard and grape variety.

METHOD OF VINIFICATION: Franoise Rigord fell in love with the wines of her husband's domaine, to such an extent that she left her successful career in public relations to study oenology and take on the responsibility of making all of Commanderie de Peyrassol's wines. Although a native of Touraine in northern France, Francoise's deep love of the Cotes de Provence is evident in the expression of terroir found in all of her wines. Two different styles are produced. The Eperon d'Or series emphasizes the generous fruit and supple mouthfeel. The Cuvee Marie-Estelle represents the best of the domaine in white, rosé and red. The whites are made by direct pressing and fermentation at controlled temperatures to capture the beautiful fruit. Semillon, Rolle and Ugni Blanc go into the white wines. The roses, are made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. The fine, local, ancient grape Tibouren gives special elegance to the Marie Estelle Rose. The grapes undergo cold maceration before being pressed. This gives them their beautiful watermelon pink color. The fermentation takes place under controlled temperatures, and is exceptionally long, resulting in roses that are both lively, fresh and full-bodied. The red wines are the pride and joy of Peyrassol. The Cuvee Eperon d'Or is made from a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% each of Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache. Each variety is vinified separately in "foudres" or large casks after being lightly crushed. After fermentation, the wine is blended and then further aged in barrel, with about 1/3 new oak used each year. The Cuvee Marie-Estelle is made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 35% Grenache and Syrah. The Cabernet Sauvignon is entirely destemmed and whole berry fermentation is used to vinify the Syrah. The wine is aged for 12 months in barrel before bottling. This cuvee is remarkably concentrated and can age for 10 years or more.