Our story
Our Story
350 BC
In Greek times, Romanin was a place of worship dedicated to the goddess Artemis and, in the time of the Gauls, druids used to gather at Romanin to worship the ancient mother goddess, Anna, who later became St. Anne. The Romanin vineyards were already producing a famous wine at the time, which was exported as «wine of Theopolis.
A Roman descendant of King Magus Balthazar
Legend has it that the Roman patrician and last prefect of the Gauls, Claudius Pastumus Dardanus, acquired the Romanin estate through marriage. He worked the estate’s vineyards and shipped its wines to the great Roman cities of the time. It was he who built the first Romanin fort, to protect his estate.
13th century, construction of Château Romanin
In 1203, the Lord of Romanin, Raymond de Gantelme, joined the Order of the Temple and went to the Holy Land from where he brought back three chests and the veil of Saint Anne (mother of the Virgin Mary), kept in the Cathedral of Apt.
On a map, the sixteen-pointed star of Moustiers, dear to the eyes of Frédéric Mistral (French writer of Occitan expression 1830-1914), indicates various directions of which the Château Romanin and the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
The construction of the castle takes into account the passage of the summer and winter solstices, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, the planets Mars, Venus, Jupiter, the passage of the Sun and the full Moon.
XIXth century - The Castle in ruins
The owners of the time had a sugar factory built a short distance from the Castle, with the stones of the latter. In 1851, a violent fire consumes the whole.
The Chai Cathédrale
Considered as one of the architectural cellars of France, the originality of Château Romanin's cellar consists in several essential characteristics: buried in the rock, built in 1992 by the architect Serge Hennemann.
This winery takes into account the round of the stars, the summer and winter solstices, the passage of the Sun and the full Moon. It also takes into account the criteria of the Château's ancestor builders while associating the materials of our contemporary era: wood, concrete and steel. To reconcile traditional knowledge and technology in the creation of an underground cathedral-cellar ideal for the maturing process of a great wine. A real challenge... totally met.
It is an astronomical cellar, built according to the round of the planets, the terrestrial magnetism, in resonance with the place.
The orientation of the cellar-cathedral was chosen according to the earth's magnetism and in resonance with the spirit of the place. Gothic and impressive with its arches, sculpted columns with capitals and cross-ribs, the cathedral contributes to magnify the characteristics of future great wines. The layout of the barrels in the space, the shapes, the volumes of the cellar - using the royal cubit, the unit of measurement identified on the ruins of the castle - are in line with the choice of the biodynamic production method of the domain.
The cathedral resembles an astronomical observatory linked to the rhythm of the seasons, the Sun and the Moon. Within it, tuns in which the very essence of wines already turned to generosity, amplitude and depth flow.
Inside again, a staircase winds around three floors and allows you to climb to the vegetated dome, a strategic place at the top of the buried building. The 360° view on the Alpilles, the vineyard, the ruins of Château Romanin dating from the 13th century, the Mont Ventoux (the Giant of Provence) and the ball of gliders circling in the sky, is sublime.
This "chai d'oeuvre" houses a wine library created by Anne-Marie and Jean-Louis Charmolüe in order to preserve the history and memory of the wines; a space where the old vintages age peacefully, a place for tasting, sharing and conviviality.
A true monument of architecture, this "chai d'oeuvre" was built to ensure perfect harmony and coherence between the cultivation of biodynamic vines and the work in the cellar.
Unique soil - Beneficial Mistral
Inspiring and breathtaking. Rare are the places capable of capturing the gaze and absorbing the being with such intensity. Between Saint Rémy-de-Provence and Eygalières, two kilometers of a white and sinuous path invite you to take your time to reach the domain of Château Romanin. Nature, raw and majestic, envelops and captivates you.
The northern slope of the Alpilles impresses with its rocky cirque which shelters 250 hectares (58 hectares of vineyards, 4 hectares of olive trees and 2.5 hectares of almond trees), tended with the same care. It is here that the vineyards, protected by the garrigue, the olive trees and the almond trees, cling to the ruins of a castle of the Templar order dating from the 13th century and with a rich history.
The geological configuration of the estate, combined with exceptional updrafts, give the red, white and rosé wines their remarkable depth and specificity. The stones store heat during the day and release it at night, and the mistral wind helps to cool the vines. These phenomena allow the wines to reach a soft maturity, ideal for a better balance between alcohol and acidity.
Here again, the elements come together in respect and harmony. They operate unique phenomena that perfectly accompany the wines and olive oils, fruits of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon, and carried by the work of men.
