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“Welcome!” exclaims vivacious Remy Devictor (wearing stripes), who with his brother Oliver owns Domaine La Sangliere, just a stone’s throw from the beaches of St. Tropez. With much pride, he shows me around his winery, asking that I not take pictures of the empty spaces were the fermentation tanks once stood (“we’re getting brand new ones, the picture would look better then!” – he exclaims) and leads me out to the receiving area, where brother Oliver is manning some sort of tractor.

Passion certainly is a key at Domaine de La Sangliere, since this is very much a hands-on operation where the brother-owners literally do all the heavy lifting. It all began in the 1980s when their father Francois Devictor, agronomist, decided to settle down in Provence to achieve his lifelong dream as a wine producer.

The domaine is located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, in the classified site of the Fort de Bregancon and covers 42 hectares. The estate is currently under the protection of the Conservatoire du Littoral (Coastal Protection Agency) ensuring the definitive protecting of outstanding area on the coast.

“The soil is ancient, composed of clay and schist,” Remy tells me. The microclimate offers a soft daily sea breeze which keeps strong winters and high risk freezing away, and moderates heavy summer heat waves.

The domaine produces six varieties of wine under two categories, Cuvee Speciale and Cuvee Prestige, both producing white, red, and rose. As usual in Provence, rose wine represents a major part of the production, but white and red have received numerous medals and distinctions during wine tasting contests.

The tasting room was quite busy, with a never-ending assortment of fashionably dressed people stopping by the tasting room to taste and buy wine. I was impressed, for the domaine is pretty out of the way.

Remy went as far as to invite us to a private beach (one has to be a member to park there) which he claimed was one of his favorites. I unstrapped my high heels and slipped on flip flops as we walked toward the sand, and then visited a beachside cafe (broiled lobsters, anyone?) where they sell his wine.

When you are in the area, make a pre-appointment for a tasting and say I said hello!

Remy Devictor   
Domaine de La Sangliere
Route de Léoube   
83230 Bormes Les Mimosas (next to the beach)
Tel:  04.94.00.48.58.   
http://www.domaine-sangliere.com
remy@domaine-sangliere.com

You can discover more about rose wines from Provence at the Wines of Provence web site

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