Provence’s Château Bas sold to Bordeaux’s Castéja family

Château Bas near Aix-en-Provence has been sold to a holding company owned by the Bordeaux-based Castéja family, marking the latest high profile deal in the rosé region.

Château Bas near Aix-en-Provence has been sold to the Bordeaux-based Castéja family

As reported by Decanter, Château Bas has been acquired by Ficbal, the holding company co-owned by Catherine Castéja and her children, Charlotte Lafourcade Jumenbo, Hubert Castéja and Frédéric Castéja, for an undisclosed sum.

Catherine Castéja had allegedly been looking to add a Provence estate to her wine portfolio for years, describing Bas as “one of the jewels of Provence”.

The 370-hectare Château Bas includes 75ha of organically-farmed vines in Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, along with 10 hectares of olive groves and an 2,000-year-old Roman temple.

Welcoming thousands of visitors each year, it produces rosés from Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Counoise, along with red and white wines.

“We have lots of ambition for the property. Our goal is to bring more precision to the wines,” Ficbal said in a statement.

According to Decanter the estate will be run separately from other Castéja family wine businesses, which include Château Batailley and Trotte Vieile in Bordeaux.

The deal highlights how important Provence has become within world-leading wine portfolios. Last year, LVMH snapped up Provence estate Château de Galoupet, and took a 55% stake in Sacha Lichine’s Château d’Esclans.

The same year fashion house Chanel added to its wine holdings with the purchase of Domaine de l’Île on the island of Porquerolles in Provence.

Chanel already owns three estates in Bordeaux – Château Berliquet and Canon in Saint Emilion, and Rauzan-Ségla in Margaux.

An in-depth look at the latest developments in the rosé category will appear in the forthcoming June issue of db.