the estate through history

Les Davids, a surname firmly rooted in local history

Cassini’s map of France, drawn in the late 18th century, features a small house and a name: “Les Davids”. In the next century, the name changed to “Sinety”, but we have no further details...

Viens is a medieval village in the Luberon region. From the foot of its tower, a magnificent vista opens up of the first foothills of the Alps. To the left, the vineyards of the Les Davids and Treimars estates look like an oasis blessed with alluvial soils, water and good exposure to the sun. The estate was first mentioned in the 16th century. The Sinetys, a noble family of Italian origin who had moved to the Apt region, met some Waldensians, the Davids.

the estate through history

From Sinety to Davids

The Davids undoubtedly grew vines for the Sinetys. This seems to date back to Serge Sinetti, who moved to Apt in 1442, under the protection of King René.

His great-great-grandson, François Sinety, was ‘Lord of Tregmas’ (Treimars). Five generations of squires later, in 1857, his descendant sold the estate to Maurice Richaud. In 1896, he divided “a rural estate in Sinety, a district of Treimars, known as Les Davids...” between his two sons. So the two names were now merged...

Maurice Richaud’s descendants sold the land to the Roux family, whose heirs were still breeding sheep and lambs there as recently as 1970.

the land awakes

At the outset, land, organic conversion, vines, back to basics

When, in 2000, Les Davids fulfilled a dream of working the land, a need to put down roots and get back to basics, it also sowed the seeds of a viticulture and organic polyculture project on the edge of the Luberon mountains. The grass here is short, the land vast, and here and there a shrub has escaped the attention of the deer and sheep. But the valley is gentle, the water that flows through it twinkles like a promise of abundance and, although the streams no longer flow in torrents, you can sense the richness of the alluvium and the potential of an unspoilt region. The building is beautiful, simple and solid, and is protected from the sun by four centuries-old plane trees.

Sustainability and respect for biodiversity soon became a matter of priority: nourishing the land that nourishes us, planting hedges between plots, practising polyculture to enable short supply chains, reintroducing old varieties in orchards, loving and respecting nature. And planting vines...

The first plots of Syrah grapes were 4 years old when the first harvest - by hand - began. A first wine was produced and was given the name Les Dernières Terres, after its unspoilt hillside at the northernmost tip of the Vaucluse département.

the estate today

A mature operation

Aujourd’hui, Les Davids a atteint sa maturité. Viennent s’y ajouter les terres voisines d’Autet, un nouveau projet d’envergure qui ajoutera dix hectares de terres pour les vignes, entourées de bois de pins parasols. Ensemble, ces terres forment un écrin de biodiversité, soutenu à la fois par un travail en polyculture biologique et un projet d’agroforesterie. Protégé des maladies grâce à sa forme en cuvette et ses coteaux boisés, le domaine bénéficie en outre d’un microclimat sous double influence alpine et méditerranéenne lui conférant une qualité unique.

Biodiversity

Skilfully balanced self-protection

At the heart of the Estate, there are three ponds that collect runoff via plant-covered ditches. For five hundred years, this wild spring has supplied water to the old washhouse alongside the Les Davids courtyard. Its overflow runs into the ditch that leads to the first reservoir. A drop-by-drop irrigation system carries the water to where it is needed.

All these facilities have been built by the Estate, with respect for and on behalf of nature. It is nourished by it and nourishes it in return. It now demonstrates the importance of polyculture in organic farming.

human intervention

“Organic agriculture at Les Davids is not a goal, but a fact, as our terroir is so wild and unspoilt”

_{Aristide Furrasola – Les Davids Production Manager}