Entrepeneur’s course

From a very young age, Sophie Courtois-Biancone had a passion for Château Rasque, an estate built in Provence by her parents which she took over 10 years ago. Today we meet a winegrower in love with a land, who writes its story day after day.

  • What is the history of Château Rasque?

    My parents bought the Rasque woods in 1983. It was 100 hectares of only forest, so they cleared everything, planted and built it up over the years. My mother wanted only a few feet of vines but my father, a builder and entrepreneur, saw things on a larger scale. In the end, 15 hectares were planted. My parents were novices but they surrounded themselves with passionate winegrowers who advised them well. The Château Rasque is very beautiful and the notoriety came quickly.

  • What does the vineyard represent for you ?

    I have always seen this land as a beautiful place for me to flourish. I come from a family of five children but am the only one to have a taste for wine. Little by little and alongside my father, I learned the trade. He passed the passion of this land onto me as well as the love of working with the vine. I took the reins of the vineyard a decade ago.

  • What is special about your red and white wines ?

    Château Rasque has distinguished itself by the quality of its reds and whites. What makes the white special is that we dared to make it 100% with rolle, a grape variety that was not very fashionable 30 years ago. The rolle, which grows well in the Rasque land produces a very aromatic wine. As for the red, my parents chose to develop it in vats and not in barrels. These large containers make our reds very woody with a fruit focus.

  • What about the rosé?

    Château Rasque is known for having a very elegant and balanced rosé. We use typical grape varieties such as Grenache and Cinsault. What makes it great as well is the color of our rosé. We offer an authentic rosé, sometimes more, sometimes less dark rather than trying to create a pale rosé.

  • Do you plan to export to other countries ?

    We have a chance to sell all of the production from Château Rasque in France, 80% of which is in the PACA region. However, we have just acquired a few more hectares that I intend to plant in 2018. This will allow me to expand the export market in 3 or 4 years.

  • What are your other future projects ?

    I hope to develop wine tourism as part of the vineyard but on a family scale. The estate of Château Rasque now has 32 hectares of vines as well as four guest rooms and a 350 m² room to accommodate a few weddings during the year. Our wish is to open the vineyard to the outside so people can share our passion, but in small groups. Also, I have managed a second vineyard since 2003 called Hermitage de Saint-Pons in Figanières. Recognized as one of the best in terms of value for money, its wines complement the high end options of Château Rasque. Finally, I have a 27 year old brother who is tempted to join me in this adventure. Maybe a new episode of this beautiful family story will be written …

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Château Rasque