Domaine Rabiega is once again Swedish-owned and where the renowned winemaker Lars Torstenson is back as wine maker. Read more about this and other vineyards sold in Provence.

These wineries have been purchased since my book “The Wines of Provence – Tricolour” was published, with this info you can keep up to date with what’s happening in the Provence wine world.

• Vin & Sprit owned Domaine Rabiega wine and conference centre between 1988 and 2005 and it was later sold to Anders Åkesson and after that to the Tanchou family from Paris. But now the winery is once again Swedish owned as Gastrodev AB has signed an agreement and they are now waiting for the final formalization to be completed after Covid-19 delayed the bureaucracy.
  The winery’s celebrity will be restored and they have of course engaged Lars Torstenson who lives, a long, stone’s throw away. The new owners will be responsible for the harvest this year and an obvious investment is once again to certify the vineyard organically.
  During the Vin & Sprit era, Lars Torstenson was responsible for Domaine Rabiega and he is now back as consulting chief winemaker. Rabiega was the first to place the Côtes de Provence on the world map of quality wines when the 1990 vintage of the wine Clos Dière Cuvée I came third in Gault & Millau’s “Olympiade du vin” before giants such as Penfolds Grange, Jaboulet and Guigal!
  But it’s not “just” the wine that will make Domaine Rabiega famous again, the restaurant will be run by Daniel Höglander and Niclas Jönsson from the 2-star Guide Michelin restaurant Aloë in Älvsjö in Stockholm. In addition, they will invest heavily on the hotel activity.

• Since July 2019, Château de Galoupet, in the Côtes de Provence La Londe, has been part of Moët Hennessy LVMH’s Wines & Spirits department. In December, it was also announced that LVMH has purchased 55% of the shares in Château d’Esclans, known for producing the Whispering Angel rosé wine and Garrus wine, which was previously the world’s most expensive rosé wine (see post 2020-01-14). So, these two Provencal properties are now in the same division as, for example, Château d ‘Yquem, Cheval Blanc, Krug and Dom Pérignon! More information can be found in my post from 2020-01-14.
  Cave/Château d’Esclans will continue the successful rosé wine track. Maybe the Château de Galoupet will change its wine portfolio? I included them in my Swedish Provence wine book but they asked me to remove them in the English version, so maybe it will be some change of the wine portfolio and a harmonization with the d’Esclans?
  
  
• The 20-hectare vineyard Château L’Arnaude located south of Lorgues was purchased in 2019 by Jean-Jacques Bréban, chairman of CIVP as well as chairman and CEO of Vins Breban, one of the major négociants in Provence. The vineyard was owned and run between 2005 and 2013 by the Swede Mats Wallin with Lars Torstenson as wine consultant.

• Domaine de l’Ile on the beautiful island of Porquerolles outside Hyères was purchased in late 2019 by the fashion house Chanel, also famous for its perfume Chanel No. 5, which already owns three vineyards in Bordeaux. The ecologically certified farm covers 34 hectares and is yet another family-owned vineyard in Provence that are purchased by large companies.