Mathieu Meyer, his plans to bring Château Galoupet back to life

Guillaume Rebière | 4/4/24, 3:00 PM

Mathieu Meyer embodies the new direction of Château Galoupet. The estate manager is continuing the renaissance of this Provence cru classé, owned by Moët-Hennessy since 2019. His vision is of a biodiversity hotspot that also serves the quality of the wines.

He arrived in 2020, and with the Mediterranean as his backdrop, it's an understatement to say that he was changing horizons. Appointed Director of Château Galoupet, Mathieu Meyer had just spent seven years in Champagne, leading the development of Moët & Chandon's new production site. A Moët-Hennessy baby - the wine and spirits division of LVMH - this agricultural engineer by training has also travelled the world: master distiller for Ten Cane rum in Trinidad and Tobago or operations manager for Chandon in Australia. From Épernay, the road to the land of rosé is shorter, and the proposal, ultimately familiar: "Participate in a renaissance project with two strong pillars, the environment and the rise in quality."Throughout its 250 years of existence, Galoupet has seen its wines rewarded, becoming one of only 18 estates in the region to earn the title of Cru Classé de Provence in 1955, before the decline hit its vast vineyards.

A new direction for the estate

Moët-Hennessy's takeover in 2019 signals the time for renewal, especially as the group aims to make the estate its laboratory and showcase for sustainable development practices. We've embarked on a 360° project because environmental issues are all interlinked," explains Mathieu Meyer. Our guiding principle is to bring back life and biodiversity. "Our efforts are manifold : plant cover to regenerate the soil, planting trees and shrubs to create corridors to counter the effects of monoculture, installing 200 beehives and aIn Provence, water has also become a key issue. Rainfall is even lower in the Galoupet area, often in the form of storms that cause erosion. The aim is to slow down the flow of water so that it can infiltrate, and plant cover plays a role here too. It's a virtuous circle, " continues the estate manager. It's work that will never stop, but whose first effects are already visible. "

Measurements have shown a clear improvement in microbial life in soils sown with mustard or rye seeds. Organic certification in May 2023 also marks a symbolic stage in the transformation, which extends right down to the pruning of the vines. While rosé remains a complex and technical wine to produce, Mathieu Meyer has introduced radical parcel-based vinification: "A Grenache will not express the same thing to the north or south of the estate. We have identified 40 parcels and this number is set to increase. Our ambition is to produce a gourmet cuvée, which is why volumes are still limited in order to express the wine at this level of quality. "The 2023 vintage of this Cru Classé is offered in a bottle - unusual for a rosé - made from 80% recycled amber glass. The environmental approach also lies in details like these, as much as in the creation of a biodiversity hotspot facing the majestic islands of Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Le Levant.

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