The estate is sustainably farmed and encompasses wheat fields and olive trees, as well as 30ha of rolling vineyards. Black truffles stud the earth, red poppies give way to brilliant yellow sunflowers, and in the fall, the surrounding forests yield abundant cepes, fragile girolles, and morels. The terrain is punctuated by a stunning geological anomaly, the 270 meter-deep ‘Devil’s Hole’, a canyon thought to have been created by a meteor collision and now a favourite refuge of the local wild boars, who are, unfortunately, rather partial to grapes! As in all the best properties, the Chateau Routas soil varies dramatically, resulting in small vineyards that are often unusually shaped. Some plots are red as crushed brick, while others are of crumbly grey limestone mixed with bright red stones that bleach in the hot summer sun. The elevation is among Provence’s highest, providing cool nights that slow the ripening of the grapes, contributing complexity and dictating harvests that are up to a month later than those nearer the coast. In 2005 Sir David Murray & family took ownership, ushering in a new era for the Chateau. The appellation is an enclave of the “Cote de Provence”.