Château des Bormettes: Red and White Wines in Provence

Yannick has been working at Château des Bormettes for five years. A passionate wine lover who comes from a long line of Provençal winemakers, he left the retail industry to return to his first love.

The Château des Bormettes: a historic estate in Provence

Château des Bormettes overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, situated between Marseille and Saint-Tropez in the unique terroir of La Londe. It benefits from exceptional and privileged conditions that led to the creation of the Côtes-de-Provence La Londe appellation. “We were the first to establish ourselves in this appellation. In fact, the village of La Londe was founded long after Château des Bormettes,” says Yannick.

Indeed, Château des Bormettes holds a special place in the history of winemaking, with records of wine production dating back to the 10th century. As Yannick puts it, “That’s what makes our terroir so special: layers of history have built upon one another to shape our estate as it is today.”

Bormettes Castle is taking a long-term view

A history and a legacy that inspire Yannick and his team to take time into account and think long-term. “We think with a long-term perspective,” he says. In the vineyard, in the cellar, in the wines, and even among the staff: “We try to have people who stay for a very long time. More than half the staff lives on the estate. That’s important for creating a family atmosphere.” The château is also working on a blend of grape varieties and wines suited to the terroir of La Londe.

Château des Bormettes focuses on red and white wines

In a world where pale rosé reigns supreme—favored by consumers, increasingly appreciated by wine lovers, and a hallmark ofProvence—Château des Bormettes is taking the opposite approach. “Our plan is to develop our white and red wines,” explains Yannick. “Today, rosé accounts for 70% of production, and we want to bring that down to 50% quickly, then to 35% in the long term, with a 33% split between red and white.” Nothing could be more logical for this terroir, which lends itself to rich, fruity, and concentrated wines. Château des Bormettes does not want to be interventionist: “To produce trendy rosé wines—that is, very pale ones—we would have to add numerous fining agents. We refuse to do that. It’s our work philosophy. We produce wines that reflect the terroir,” emphasizes the winemaker.

Producing fine red and white wines: the goal of Château des Bormettes

Our Estate's Favorite Cuvées:

Coast & Sea

Instinct Parcellaire Rosé

Instinct Parcellaire La Bergerie

Château des Bormettes produces terroir-driven wines

“In the La Londe appellation, what sets us apart is that we’re on a schist terroir with a high quartz content. These characteristics come through in our wines as hints of minerality and salinity, notes of pebbles, smoky undertones, and a kind of freshness that is neither acidity nor bitterness,” explains Yannick.

To highlight the terroir in his wines, Yannick works with fully ripe grapes, using minimal intervention, minimal fining, and filtering as late as possible. For reds, extractions are very measured: “We focus more on the concept of infusion, which is gentler and more delicate. In the barrel, we aim to develop the wine’s structure rather than extract woody aromas.”

Ultimately, the wines from Château des Bormettes are full-bodied, with rich flavors, aromas, and a generous mouthfeel. “The rosé is very easy to drink with a meal. It has good structure, plenty of aroma, and a generous mouthfeel,” notes Yannick.

The Château des Bormettes looks far into the distance

In addition to the 65 hectares currently under cultivation, the Bormettes team plans to plant about 20 additional hectares of vines in the coming years. “We’re planting a lot of Rolle (also known as Vermentino) because we believe this grape variety is well-suited to the Mediterranean climate. In a few months, we’ll also be replanting Carignan, which is very well suited to the drought conditions we face,” explains Yannick. He also plans to replant Ugni Blanc and Mourvèdre… a diversification of grape varieties that will allow him to increase the proportion of white and red wines produced on the estate.

The goal of Château des Bormettes is to restore biodiversity to the estate while maintaining a connection to its history; the estate also plans to revive olive oil production. “The monks of the 15th century left us a legacy of olive oil production and old oil mills. We’d like to replant olive trees and start making olive oil again,” says Yannick.

Wine lovers who cherish freedom and are determined to make the wine they love. Welcome to Château des Bormettes.