Domaine les Patys

Thierry , who comes from a family of farmers, founded the Domain les Patys organic farm in 2013. He has traveled a lot around the world in his life, spending many years in the Himalayas in particular.

Thanks to his wife, the Norman-born man now lives at the foot of the highest mountain in Vaucluse, Mont Ventoux (1909 m).

The family-run Domaine les Patys winery is located outside the village of Bedoin. The region is characterised by dry Mediterranean mountain landscapes, with Mont Ventoux towering imposingly over the land. The climate is characterised by extreme fluctuations. The summers are very hot and dry and in winter temperatures can drop to as low as -15°C. In addition, there is a Mistral wind that can blow with gusts of up to 110 km/h.

UNESCO Mont Ventoux Biosphere Reserve

The lands of the Domaine les Patys are located within the UNESCO Mont Ventoux Biosphere Reserve. UNESCO biosphere reserves protect regions with exceptional biodiversity. The aim of these model regions is to reconcile people's lives with the protection of nature. In order to protect the exceptional ecosystem, sustainable agriculture must be practiced and settlement in the region is also limited.

In total, the winery covers around 10 hectares of land. Thierry cultivates regional vines and olive trees on these using organic farming methods . Some of his vines and olive groves are around 40 years old. A total of 1.2 hectares are planted with Verdale de Carpentras olive trees. The traditional olive variety here in the Vaucluse, also known as Angladau.

The natural cycle of olive trees

The amount of olive oil available varies greatly from year to year. The climate of the year in question obviously plays a role. But the natural cycle of the trees also has a very strong influence on the amount of fruit produced. It is normal for the trees to produce far fewer olives in some years than in others. 2020 was actually not a very productive year in Provence. Thierry only received 500 liters of olive oil from his 400 or so olive trees this year.

How to produce excellent olive oil

The olives are harvested manually on the farm and pressed cold and mechanically in the local mill. Unlike industrial olive oil, this olive oil is unfiltered and unpasteurized. This means that the valuable aromas and ingredients of the olives are retained in the final product.

This traditional way of working requires a lot of manual work and time. That is why these processes are not used in industry.

All of the Domaine's oils are made from 100% Verdale de Carpentras olives. Unlike olive oil from the cooperative or the oil mill, only olives from our own harvest are processed. Bottling also takes place on the farm. This allows for optimal quality control and excellent olive oils.

Luckily for us, we were able to secure a few bottles of his precious wine.