CIRCUIT 13 – Around AIX-EN-PROVENCE

The road of the painters

A few hundred metres from the workshop on a hill, a belvedere was built in 2004 with a superb view of St. Victoire, where 10 panels reproduce paintings by Cézanne from this site. It was between 1902 and 1906 that, from this location, he produced 11 oil paintings and 17 watercolours of the St-Victoire mountain, several of which are now exhibited in the world’s greatest museums. And it was on this very spot that on 15 October 1906, Cézanne, surprised by a storm, collapsed and lay in the rain for long hours before being taken home to the centre of Aix-en-Provence in a launderer’s cart. He no longer had the strength to go to his studio to paint, and died a week later of pneumonia. Many tributes and retrospective exhibitions throughout the world will be paid to him after his death.
Possibility to stop at the cemetery of Saint-Pierre d’Aix-en-Provence to visit the grave of Paul Cézanne.

Wine tasting

Visit the Vinotheque of the Association of Winegrower of Sainte-Victoire which is the showcase of “Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire” wines with tasting and sale of local wines, in an exceptional setting at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire mountain in Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon.You will taste the three colors red, rosé and white wine. Then head to the village of Puyloubier which brings together more than 80 small winegrowers where you will also do another tasting of the three colors of wine. Then visit the extèrior of 2 or 3 wineries located in the surroundings, in the middle of exceptional Provencal landscapes. then I will take you to a superb setting next to an old 10th century chapel to have a little snack. then return to Aix-en-Provence to visit the “road of the painters

The Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire appellation area occupies the foothills of the Sainte-Victoire mountain on its southern flank. The vineyard has very specific geo-climatic characteristics. It is established on poor soils formed of limestones and clayey sandstones, well drained and therefore very suitable for the cultivation of the vine. This terroir benefits from exceptional sunshine and is protected from maritime influences by the surrounding relief. The action of the mistral, dry and regular wind, cleanses the vineyard. The grapes maturation there later than on the rest of the Côtes de Provence appellation, which gives the wines a characteristic freshness. This unique terroir, considered one of the most natural in France, where the vine has been cultivated since antiquity exerts a profound influence on the wines of Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire which were officially recognized by decree on February 10, 2005 for reds and rosés. Three grape varieties, Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault represent at least 80% of the grape varieties. The wines are made using the traditional blending technique. Each grape variety is harvested and vinified separately, which allows each grape variety to be harvested at maximum maturity and a vinification specific to each grape variety. Then a few months later we proceed to the assembly. The wines of Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, which have a very growing demand in France and abroad, are now of a quality specific to great French wines.