Château Routas announces new winemaker

As Château Routas celebrates 30 years of fine winemaking, the Provençal estate has announced the appointment of Fabrice Grossmann.

Grossman follows on from Jean Louis Bavay, who was with Chateau Routas for three decades.

Keith Murray took ownership of Routas, along with his father Sir David Murray, in 2005. He told db: “[Grossmann] came with an excellent record of making rosé…particularly using Cabernet Sauvignon, which is not a commonly used grape in Provence rosé production, but one which adds much of the depth to our wine.”

The decades-long replanting of the Routas estate is nearing completion, bringing the total acreage under vine to 135. Murray informs db that Grossmann is currently determining which varieties would complement Rolle (Vermentino) for rosé production.

The estate is also in the process of obtaining HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certification.

Reflecting on Routas’ outgoing winemaker, Murray said: “Jean Louis Bavay’s impact has been immense…It’s true to say that the earlier part of his time was spent on making great red wines of the region, utilising our best Syrah, Grenache and Cabernet grapes.

“However, as the market evolved we also had to evolve and focus on our rosé production. Jean Louis excelled in producing our rosé, and now this commands around 90% of our production.”

The new Château Routas winemaker is a native of Toulon. He took part in his first harvest at the age of 19.

In 2003 he passed the BPREA (Le Brevet Professionnel Responsable d’Enterprise Agricole) at the Institut Chimie Oenologie Provence (ICOP) in viticulture and continued his studies there, passing the BTS Viticulture-Oenology degree (Le Brevet de Technicien Supérieur) in 2007.

Prior to his 11 years at Château Vignelaure, Grossmann worked at the neighbouring Château Revelette with organic vintner Peter Fischer.

Though Château Routas is located in Côteaux Varois en Provence, the story of its owners begins in Scotland.