Domaine du Bagnol

This magnificent seven-hectare estate is situated a short walk from the center of the Mediterranean village of Cassis. Cassis was first planted to the vine in the 12th century and the vineyards were developed on the north, east and southeast slopes that surround the village which sits immediately on a little bay on the Mediterranean; thus, the perfect circumstances for marrying wine to the bounty of the sea. Phylloxera wiped out the vineyards in 1870 but by 1892 the citizens of Cassis had re-established their vineyards but this time without the Muscatel variety.

Madame Lefevre was the proprietor of this estate in the late 20th century until she passed away. None of her immediate family had the time or the energy to follow in her footsteps. So, the Domaine du Bagnol staggered through a few vintages and eventually was sold.

Eventually the estate ended up in the hands of Jean-Louis Genovesi, a native of Cassis who had departed for Paris and made his fame in the capital. Jean-Louis and his son, Sébastien, have revived the domaine and the wines, both blanc and rosé, are more compelling than ever.