WINE ESTATE

Château La Coste

COTEAUX D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE

2750 Route de la Cride
13610 Le Puy Sainte Réparade
04 42 61 92 90
www.chateau-la-coste.com
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY

As it has become quite the thing for well-heeled wine estates to make bold architectural statements, I arrive into Château La Coste’s Tadao Ando-designed visitor centre feeling a little blasé. But hang on a minute. Surely that isn’t an Alexander Calder sculpture at the entrance? Oh, it is an Alexander Calder sculpture. And the giant spider hovering over the lake just outside, so like the Louise Bourgeois giant spider in Tate Modern? Ah, it is by Louise Bourgeois.

And that, folks, is only a teaser – a tiny amuse-bouche to conjure up the flavour of a wine estate that will thrill devotees of modern art and architecture. Owned by Irish businessman Paddy McKillen and managed by his sister Mara (photographed with winemaker Matthieu Cosse and spider), Château La Coste incorporates in its 130 hectares of vines an art trail with five pavilions by leading architects (including Frank Gehry) and 20 sculptures by some of the world’s most renowned living artists (Richard Serra, Andy Goldsworthy, Sean Scully, Tom Shannon, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Paul Matisse…).

Even if you were to spend half a day here (as all art lovers should), it would not be long enough to absorb the aesthetic richness of the trail which winds up through vineyards to Tadao Ando’s serene chapel at the top of the hill, then down again. It has been constructed with immense sensitivity; rather than screaming ‘look at me’, pavilions and sculptures are tucked into nooks and around corners, fitting into the landscape and surprising visitors as they make their way along the route. For such a lavish treat the fee charged is reasonable,  with the option to include a cellar tour and tasting for a few extra euro.

This is only the first phase of a project with limitless ambitions. Work has also been commissioned from Renzo Piano (gallery), Richard Rogers (exhibition room) and James Turrell (tunnel of light). An ultra-luxurious 29-room hotel is under construction. And I almost forgot to mention that the winery was designed by Jean Nouvel, France’s most revered modern architect.

Admiring the whole place – so inspiring, so serene – it was tempting to think: this is all about art, not wine. But the wines, certified organic since 2009, are crafted as carefully as everything else at Château La Coste (without the help of a consultant oenologist, interestingly: young Matthieu Cosse works alone). The refined rosé and the stylish, Graves-like white Grand Vin (Rolle, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay) are the standouts in a remarkably strong line-up.

Note for those whose energy is flagging at the end of a long visit: there is also a café with tasty, homemade food.