95% Vermentino, 5% Ugni Blanc

Food pairings: Serve well chilled as an aperitif or with mixed salads, raw or grilled fish such as a fillet of sea bream, shellfish and crustaceans, and Mediterranean vegetables marinated in olive oil.

Winemaking: The grapes are harvested at night, variety by variety, in the coolest hours. After destemming they are pressed as quickly as possible, and fermentation runs slowly at low temperature in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, without malolactic fermentation. The wine then spends just a few months in stainless steel on its fine lees, a deliberately short élevage that keeps all of its aromatic freshness. In 2024 a harsh, frosty and rainy winter replenished the soils' water reserves, an April cold snap at fruit set left the bunches well aired and healthy, and a hot, dry summer without heatwaves or destructive storms allowed slow, even ripening; harvest began on August 22 and early-September rains refreshed the vines and brought a fresher profile.

Vineyards and terroir: Les Commandeurs is Peyrassol's accessible range: the estate selects the best terroirs of the Côtes de Provence appellation, buys the finest grapes and shares its best practices with partner growers, so that the wines reflect the house's DNA. The vines grow on Triassic clay and limestone with a high proportion of gravel, and since this vintage the cuvée has been organic (certified by Ecocert), in line with the estate wines. Peyrassol itself lies in the foothills of the Massif des Maures, about ten miles from the Mediterranean, at Flassans-sur-Issole in the Var.

Family and history: In 1204 the Count of Provence, Alphonse II, gave the estate to the Knights Templar, and Peyrassol became one of the Templar commanderies of Provence; a parchment from 1256 already records the sale of its wine. After the Templars came the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John, and after the Revolution the Ricard family (1790) and then the Rigord family (1830), who kept it for generations; Françoise Rigord, "la dame de Peyrassol", helped build the reputation of the young Côtes de Provence appellation. In 2001 she sold the Commanderie to wine lover Philippe Austruy, who set out to restore its centuries-old renown. His nephew Alban Cacaret, a doctor of pharmacy, arrived in 2002 to oversee the renovation of buildings and vineyards, studied viticulture and oenology, and runs the estate today. Cellar master Fabien Burani, the son and grandson of Provençal winegrowers, is in charge of all the wines, with oenologist Pierre Guérin overseeing the whites and rosés.

In the pictures: Owner Philippe Austruy (right) with his nephew Alban Cacaret, who runs the Commanderie; the contemporary Peyrassol building at the estate, lit at dusk; and an aerial view of Peyrassol's vineyards among the wooded hills of the Var (photos courtesy of Commanderie de Peyrassol).