France · Aix-en-Provence & Les Baux

Château des Ferrages

Château des Ferrages is a 28-hectare estate in Pourcieux, making Provence wines through Mon Plaisir Sainte-Victoire and Roumery Côtes de Provence rosés.

The producer

At Pourcieux, between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin beneath Sainte-Victoire mountain, Château des Ferrages farms 28 hectares of vines and works from more than 1,000 square metres of cellars. Modern vinification sits alongside traditional ageing. Mon Plaisir Rosé carries the Sainte-Victoire appellation and blends Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, giving the estate a bottle tied to a specific Provençal place.

Roumery Rosé takes the broader Côtes de Provence appellation and combines Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle and Clairette. The two wines share pale colour and fresh fruit, but their labels and blends create different readings of Provence. Mon Plaisir shows red fruit, white flowers, peach, grapefruit and strawberry, with a fresh, smooth palate and strawberry on the finish. Roumery brings strawberry, citrus, grapefruit and peach, followed by a fresh, smooth and full palate.

Known for

Provençal wines centred on rosé, with Mon Plaisir Rosé from Sainte-Victoire and Roumery Rosé from Côtes de Provence.

Notable facts

The story

The limestone that convinced Chapoutier

When Michel Chapoutier was searching for a Provençal estate, the limestone of Mont Aurélien caught his attention. He identified the limestone as the reason the location was exceptional, and that conviction led to the acquisition of Château des Ferrages. The property had been run by the Garcia family for three generations, with Jose Garcia as owner and winemaker, before the change of hands. Chapoutier's purchase moved the estate into a new chapter while its Pourcieux address and Provençal appellation wines remained in place. The episode began with a search for land and ended with one geological feature deciding which estate would be bought: the limestone of Mont Aurélien.

From the atlas

Château des Ferrages

At A Glance

Château des Ferrages is a 28-hectare estate in Pourcieux, Provence, between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin, at the foothills of Sainte-Victoire mountain. Its wines include Mon Plaisir Rosé from the Sainte-Victoire appellation and Roumery Rosé from the broader Côtes de Provence appellation. The estate combines modern vinification with traditional ageing in more than 1,000 square metres of cellars.

The Producer

Château des Ferrages turns a specific Provençal address into a range of named bottles. The estate sits in Pourcieux, where 28 hectares of vines feed a cellar operation large enough to handle rosé, red and white wines. Mon Plaisir Rosé is the most place-specific of the named bottles supplied here, carrying the Sainte-Victoire appellation and blending Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, also known as Vermentino.

Roumery Rosé takes a broader regional route under the Côtes de Provence appellation. Its five-grape blend brings together Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle and Clairette. The difference between the two labels is easy to follow: Sainte-Victoire names a more specific Provençal appellation, while Côtes de Provence covers the wider regional category.

Place

Pourcieux lies between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin, beneath Sainte-Victoire mountain. That location gives the estate two useful label readings. Mon Plaisir Rosé carries Sainte-Victoire, while Roumery Rosé carries Côtes de Provence. The appellation changes before the bottle is opened, moving from a more specific mountain-linked designation to a broader Provençal one.

Soil And Site

The central geological marker is the limestone of Mont Aurélien. Michel Chapoutier identified that limestone as the reason the location was exceptional when he decided to acquire the estate. Here, geology belongs first to the history of the property, while the wines communicate place through their Sainte-Victoire and Côtes de Provence appellation names.

Story

The Garcia family ran Château des Ferrages for three generations and had been making wine there since 1980. Jose Garcia was the owner and winemaker before the property changed hands. Chapoutier later acquired the estate, moving it from a long family chapter into a new period of ownership while its 28 hectares, Pourcieux address and Provençal appellation range remained in place. The bottles still revolve around the grapes associated with Provence, but the estate now carries both family continuity and a changed producer history.

Vineyards And Cellar

The estate farms 28 hectares of vines and works from more than 1,000 square metres of cellars. Modern vinification techniques sit alongside traditional ageing methods, giving the winery separate phases for turning grapes into wine and allowing finished wines time before bottling. The cellar scale supports a range that reaches beyond one rosé, while the named bottles retain clear differences in appellation, grape blend, colour and palate feel.

Wines

Mon Plaisir Rosé comes from Sainte-Victoire and blends Grenache, Syrah and Rolle. It has a pale, crystalline appearance with bright tones. The nose brings red fruit, white flowers, strawberry, peach, grapefruit and hawthorn. On the palate it is fresh, smooth and ethereal, finishing with strawberry fruit.

Roumery Rosé belongs to Côtes de Provence and uses five grapes: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle and Clairette. Its colour is a very pale rose-petal shade. Strawberry, grapefruit, citrus and peach shape the nose, while the palate is fresh, well balanced, smooth and full.

The Mon Plaisir name also covers red, rosé and white wines. Mon Plaisir Blanc is made from Clairette and Rolle and has a bright, pale yellow appearance with green tints. The range therefore moves across colour and blend, with the two rosés providing the clearest comparison between Sainte-Victoire and Côtes de Provence.

In The Glass

The rosés begin with pale colour, then open into fruit and floral notes. Mon Plaisir moves from red fruit and white flowers towards peach, grapefruit and hawthorn. Its palate feels light and smooth, with a strawberry note remaining at the finish. Roumery gives a similarly pale visual impression, then brings strawberry, citrus, grapefruit and peach before filling the mouth with a smooth, fresh and rounded feel.

The grape blends help separate the impressions. Mon Plaisir keeps its blend to Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, while Roumery adds Cinsault and Clairette. The first wine finishes with a more ethereal impression and strawberry, while the second finishes with greater fullness across the palate.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Mon Plaisir Rosé. It is a Sainte-Victoire rosé made from Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, with a pale crystalline colour, red fruit, white flowers, peach and grapefruit. Its fresh, smooth palate and strawberry finish make the bottle easy to connect back to its label. One glass brings together the specific appellation, the three-grape blend and the estate’s clearest supplied taste profile.

Anecdote

Michel Chapoutier was looking at Provençal estates when the limestone of Mont Aurélien caught his attention. He described the limestone as the reason the location was exceptional, and that geological conviction led to the acquisition of Château des Ferrages. The property had been run by the Garcia family for three generations, with Jose Garcia as owner and winemaker, before the change of hands. The purchase moved the estate into Chapoutier’s Provence work without changing its Pourcieux address or its named appellation wines. At the centre of the episode is a piece of ground, and the decision that followed from it: the limestone of Mont Aurélien had convinced Chapoutier to buy the estate.

Final Word

Château des Ferrages is easiest to understand through its two rosés. Mon Plaisir gives Pourcieux a Sainte-Victoire address and a three-grape blend; Roumery places the estate within broader Côtes de Provence through five grapes and a fuller palate. Together they show how appellation and blending shape the range before the first sip.

Sources

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