Le Château Pas du Cerf

An estate imbued with history

The character of Château Pas du Cerf has its origins in the mysterious interplay of nature and royalty.

In the sixteenth century, King François I was staying on the Mediterranean coast to celebrate the

marriage of his son; Henri II to Catherine de Medicis. He was invited by the Lord of the Château

d’Hyères to join a hunting party. The King, while walking, killed a deer as it picked its way down the

steep landscape. In homage to this royal trophy, the local people named the spot ‘Pas du Cerf’ or

“Deer at a walking gait”.

The story of Château Pas du Cerf began in 1848. The first grapes from the estate were made into

wine in the family home. For eight generations now, the family heritage has been passed on with

respect for the past, care for the present and one eye on the future.

A family adventure

There can be few families where the culture of wine and a love of the land are passed on from one

generation to the next with such enthusiasm and total commitment to a job well done.

The Gualtieri family has stood as a precious symbol of the wine-making tradition since 1848, with eight

generations of winegrowers.

Nowadays, Aurore, Diane and Marion bring Château Pas du Cerf to life with their own integrity and

authenticity.

A wine estate managed by women

Rare as it is for a wine estate to be passed down through the generations, it is even rarer for it to be

managed by 3 women - the Gualtieri family sisters.

Talented and passionate about what they do, very demanding when it comes to selecting varieties of

grape, and uncompromising in the blending, they have imposed their own style in the world of wine.

As icons of female success in the production of great wines, Aurore, Diane and Marion produce wine

reflecting their own qualities of character and elegance.

With deep respect for nature

The eighty hectares of vineyards of Château Pas du Cerf enjoy a remarkable location amid unspoiled

countryside and well-preserved biodiversity.

Nestled in the heart of a 700-hectare forest, the estate is full of very rare trees such as the deliciou

arbutus, or strawberry tree, and wild oleanders – those being unique shrubs in Europe, protected by

the coastal conservation area.

Across the oak-covered hills, laden with a myriad of intoxicating scents, the mysterious and secretiv

deer roam free amongst the singing of cicadas and birds. The flora and fauna all around seem to

watch over the vines and nourish them with their natural strength.

Grandfather Marcel created a way of storing hill water that now helps the wild fauna. Mallards,

egrets and grey herons come and nest in the reeds and feed on the fish living in the lake.

The wines reflect this precious, natural magic, the iconic terroir of the great wines of the South.

Organic farming

Respect for the environment and organic cultivation are essential elements of Château Pas du Cerf –

in the vineyard and at each stage of wine-making.

In the vineyard, 100% organic manure helps ripen grapes of truly great quality.

Each stage of work in the vineyard is totally free of chemical products, in accordance with the

alchemy of nature itself.

Effluent from the vines is purified by organic treatment, and once decontaminated, is returned to the

natural environment.

Being as close as possible to nature means taking care both of oneself and of the environment: that is

the spirit in which Château Pas du Cerf has matured, one vintage year after another.

In 2010, Château Pas du Cerf was already cultivating a plot of organically-grown Grenache and

Tibouren over some dozen hectares. From these a cuvée certified organic by the ECOCERT

organization was produced: the Diane Rosé vintage.

Since 2018, all plots on the estate were converted to organic farming.

Château Pas du Cerf is certified as High Environmental Value level 3, the highest level awarded by the

National Commission for Environmental Certification (CNCE in its French acronym). This certification

is based on indicators related to biodiversity, phytosanitary strategy and fertilization management.