Provence, France
Domaine Saint-Pancrace
Situated at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire massif in the south of Provence, Domaine Saint-Pancrace produces characterful but precise organic wines that are born of the local terroir and the clear vision of a young female winemaker.
Wines with a sense of place
Domaine Saint-Pancrace lies under the gaze of the stunning Sainte-Victoire massif in the municipality of Puyloubier, around 22 kilometres east of Aix-en-Provence. The property boasts an exceptionally varied range of terroirs across some 20 hectares under vine, with limestone, red clay and stony plots injecting tension and expression into the wines. These holdings straddle the gentle southern inclines of Sainte-Victoire – an area that has been cultivated since antiquity. An 11th-century chapel and other local features underline the region’s heritage.
Noémie Guez – passion and precision
At the helm is Noémie Guez, who took over the reins in 2016 and has steered Domaine Saint-Pancrace in a new direction. Guez decided to pursue her passion for winegrowing after a previous career in the financial sector. She breathed new life into the estate, building modern cellar facilities and introducing a clear ethos focused on quality. Guez is precise, structured and uncompromising in the way she works. Every step in the journey from vineyard to bottle is taken deliberately and with great attention to detail. Authentic, elegant and beautifully delineated wines result from these endeavours.
Organic & biodiverse
Farming organically, Domaine Saint-Pancrace takes a holistic approach to viticulture. To encourage biodiversity, the estate is proactive in using cover crops, planting shrubs and hedgerows, and promoting nesting places for birds. It even has its own flock of sheep that graze in the vineyards. And its ploughs are often pulled by horse, because equine vineyard “workers” are gentler on the soil than tractors. Saint-Pancrace also takes great care of its old-vine holdings, which include Clairette, Grenache and Cinsault planted in the 1950s and 1960s.
Character of the wines
The wines of Domaine Saint-Pancrace are all about freshness, finesse and sheer drinkability. Depending on the plot and appellation (AOP Côtes de Provence or AOP Sainte-Victoire), they can vacillate from mineral and structured on the one hand, to juicy and invigorating on the other. But precision, elegance and pronounced terroir expression are, without doubt, their common denominators. This is exactly what makes them so thrilling – and so versatile at the dinner table.
