8 The Luberon regionaL naTure reserveAlso at this place you can see young olive trees, which were planted just in 2010 (olive sort Aglandau, Bouteillan, Salonenque and Cayon).The nature park Luberon is covering an area of more than 185,000 hectars, reaching from Cavaillon (Vaucluse) to Lurs (Alpes-de- Hautes-Provence) along both sides of the Luberon.Due to the preferred location between Alps and Mediterranean sea, the Luberon is not only the home a great variety of flora and fauna, but also geological formations.The area of the nature park Luberon is also a very vital area: in total more than 174,500 people in 77 municipalities are living here.In December 1997 the nature park Luberon was officially included in the list of UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.This meant the acknowledgement of the essential role of the Luberon for the preservation of the regional ecological balance and also its importance as a cultural heritage on an international level. The nature park Luberon is furthermore a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.

Taille Floraison Fécondation Nouaison Grossissement Véraison Maturation Récolte

mars mai/juin juin juillet juil à nov septembre sept à déc nov à dec

6 The differenT varieTy of oLive Trees (possible return to the boutique for the shorter walk or you can carry on for the longer walk for another 30 mn)There are more than 2000 different varieties of olives across the world. There are about 300 varieties in France; however not all of these are good to produce olive oil or olives. Amongst the most famous ones, we have the Sabine in Corsica, the Olivière in the Pyrénééns, the Lucques in the Hérault and it’s in Provence that we we grow the most varieties:Aglaudau, Bouteillan, Tanche, Grossane, Petit Ribier, salonenque, Cayon, Picholine, Cayetier... The most famous varieties in the South are the Picholine and the Aglandau, which we can find in Gard, the Ardèche, the Hérault or the Bouches du Rhône. At Bastide du Laval, we grow 80% of Aglandau, 5% of Salonenque, 5% of Bouteillan, 5% of Cayon and 5% of Picholine.

This diversity of varieties of olives enables us to work on the taste and to create different olive oils. It also helps us optimize the pollination of our trees. Most of the olive trees are self pollinators, however some varieties more than others. For instance the Aglandau which forms the majority of our orchard is hard to pollinate by itself. The best variety to pollinate the Aglandau is the Picholine. The other way round is not true.

7 When does The harvesT Take pLace ?The exact point of time for the harvest is depending on the sort of olive and the desired result of the oil. The olives for a fruity green olive oil are harvested at the beginning of the season – between October and November, when their color is changing from green to black.The resulting oil has an intensive taste with aromas of herbs.For the fruity ripe oils so olives will be harvested at a later of stage of the season, once they have reached a black color. The resulting oils do have aromas of apples, flowers and dry fruits.To know the exact date for the harvest, dependent on the expected result, we use modern technology: we take on a regular basis some probes of the olives and analyse them prior to the harvest, to know e.g. the percentage of contained oil and bitter aromas.

The LuberonThe forest area north of you is called Luberon.This mountain range gives the name to the whole region. The Luberon is reaching from Cavaillon to Manosque and covers an area of 3,000 km 2 and is the connecting piece between the Mediterranean sea and the southern alps.The highest peak reaches 1125 m and is named Mourre Nègre. It is located just in front of you. You can recognize it by the big mast with all the mounted antennas. This peak offers a beautiful area for hiking and biking. And under good weather conditions you can even spot the Mediterranean sea.

3 our Trees4000 olive trees spread over 15 hectares of land, planted in 1998, 1999 and 2000. 5 varieties of olives: Aglandau 80%. The rest is spread between 4 other varieties calles Bouteillan, Picholine, Salonenque and Cayon. These are the 5 varieties of the AOC ProvenceOur trees are fairly young. Irrigation is key for the growth of the trees as well as fruiting.The most important time of irrigation : April, May and June when blossom and fruit set take place.Water is also needed for the lipogenesis (the fabrication of the oil in the fruit)

If spring brings water and if we have a few storms in the summer, it won’t be necessary to water.The olive tree is characterized by its longevity; these trees can reach 100 years and much more.The trunk of the tree will disappear throughout aging process; however the regrowth from the stump, which develop at the base of the tree, will insure its durability and will regenerate a new tree.The olive tree is also known to be very rustique, enabling the tree to develop at his best under a very hot climate and sometimes on very poor soil.

2 The sTone quarry and fossiLsThe cliff, behind the olive oil mill, is an old stone quarry; the very same stones have been used to build the village of Cadenet. The Luberon in Provence is an area full of fossil deposits. If you look down by your feet you will find scallop and oyster fossils dating from the Miocène period (-23 to – 5 million years). This area corresponds to the opening of the occidental part of the Mediterranean, the red sea, as well as the formation of the alpine range.The foundation of the mill revealed some important fossil beds of oysters in a layer 10 to 20cm thick inches dating from 10 million years.In other areas of the Luberon we can find vertebrate fossils, mammal footsteps, insects and plant residues very well preserved.

4 vieW of The 2009 groveIn front of you, the view of our young olive grove planted in 2009.At the bottom of the hill, the stream called the Laval flows from the Luberon out into the Durance river to the South of Cadenet.Its bassin spreads over 4 counties which are : Cadenet, Vaugines, Cucuron and Puyvert. The stream goes through our estate this is why we decided to call it this way. The river Durance is the longest river in Provence it takes its stream in the High Alps, at 2632m altitude, by the “Mont Chenaillet”, close to the Italian border, it flows into the Rhône 305 km further.The Durance Valley carves out a road North/South which crosses four counties and plateau, all of them filled with history. It is the true spinal column of Provence : from the Alpes to the “Crau” plain, the Durance runs through the Provence Alps Côte d’Azur and provides 75% of its water needs.

5 a cerTified organic producTionWe do not use any chemical product during the annual process of the olive farming we only use organic fertilizers.We mow the grass instead of weeding. Indeed, the grass shelters a fairly large amount of insects which help us fight against pests and disease of the olive tree.We mow the grass twice a year in May/June and November before the harvest.To fight against the fly of the olive we use neutral clay, kaolinite. It forms a natural fence which will prevent the fly from laying its eggs.In order to get our land and production certified as organic we have to go through a very thorough administration process which can last for several years before obtaining the actual certification.The certification is issued by a recognized certification authority who makes regular control and samples in order to check that the guidelines of Organic agriculture is respected. Our recognized certification authority is called ECOCERT.

9 hisTory of The oLive Tree

The yearLy cycLe of oLive Tree cuLTivaTion

The olive tree showed up the first time in a wild form approx.. 14,000 years ago in Asia Minor. There still exists today large forests of wild olive trees. The spreading of olive trees is linked to the spreading of the Mediterranean climate, which started about 10,000 years ago.The first known olive growers had been 4,000 B.C. Phoenician and Syrian. Step by step the olive tree spread due to the trading from middle east to Palestine and Cypress. At 3,500 B.C.the olive tree reached Crete and the Aegean coast: different frescos and earthenware jugs from the beginning of the third millennium B.C. demonstrate an intensive trading with olive oil. Olive branches found in Egyptian graves shows, that even in Egypt already 1,500 B.C. olive trees were planted.Due to migration of people, conquests and trade the olive tree spread throughout the whole Mediterranean region: Italy, Spain, France, Tunisia, Morocco...In Provence the olive tree showed up in his wild form already a long time ago: fossilized leaves, which are dated at 8,000 B.C. were found in Roquevaire in France.The olive cultivation was introduced 6,000 B.C. by the Phoenician, which founded Massilia (Marseille) and who taught the inhabitants how to cultivate the olive trees. Therefore youcan still find olive trees which are aged between 1,000 and 2,000 years.

 

Bastide du XIXe siècle

Aire de pique‐nique 

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34

567

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1112

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Chevaux

Vignes

Petits oliviers 

Moulin Bastide du Laval

12 cadeneT’s hisToryFacing the Luberon, you will see the village of Cadenet to your left and the remains of its castle. You will also be able to see the village of Vaugines just in front of you, then the first houses of Cucuron on your right and the combe of Lourmarin to your left, natural passage way to the northern face of the Luberon.We can find traces of the birth of the village of Cadenet at its exact location today during the Gallo-Roman era by the discovery of some inscriptions on stone tablets (steles), or ceramics.It’s in the Middle Ages that Cadenet is really going to make a breakthrough in the counties’ history.Rostang de Cadenet, lord of the place, is going to build a first castle in the XI century, strategically located on a rocky ridge dominating the valley of the Durance.This castle is going to endure many vicissitudes from the Middle Ages to the modern times.Although having being rebuilt many times, only remains a ruin from different eras.It’s around this place that an embryo of troglodytic houses in the cliffs.The village will benefit from the Durance river crossing-point to expand.

1 basTide du LavaL, oLive oiL MiLL & esTaTeBastide du Laval is, in fact, the old XIX century farm (wine and vegetable farm) located below just next to the olive oil mill.From here you can also see the cedar tree estimated to be about 300 years.As the grapevines were getting too old and the grape variety not suited, we decided to remove them as soon as we bought the estate in 1998, it is then that we started to transform the domaine into an olive grove; however we decided to replant a few hectares of Merlot vines.The Laval is the small river which originates in the Luberon and runs through the estate. This river was previously used for irrigation purposes. 30 hectares of land, 4000 trees and 20 years later Bastide du Laval has become a well known olive oil farm, certified AOC Provence (PDO : Protected designation of origin) and organic agriculture which main purpose is the production of olives of exceptional qualities dedicated to produce top range olive oils.The olive oil mill opened in 2014. It was a vital step to enable us to control all the requirements leading to the production of exceptional olive oils.

10 heaLTh and benefiTs of using oLive oiLOlive oil contains many unsaturated fats, e.g. Omega 9. These are important due to their positive impact on the cardiovascular system, as they can reduce the cholesterol level. These positive ingredients are accompanied by polyphenols – containing lots of antioxidants, andby vitamin E – also known for its antioxidant proteins. Olive oil is not only the basis for the Mediterranean cooking, but also for the cooking at Crete. At this type of feeding, fruits and vegetables (fresh or dried) are playing a major role – together fish and cereals. Therefore this kind of feeding contains very few animal fat, but lots of olive oil! This kind of feeding hasbrought to the inhabitants of Crete during the 1960’s their legendary longevity and it is today the model for healthy feeding and the basis for avoidance of sickness.

Is it possible to heat olive oil ? You can heat olive oil as long as you don’t leave an adequate temperature range. Its high boiling point of 210° C allows even to use olive oil for deep frying. Below its boiling point theoil does not change its structure nor loose its richness of antioxidants and unsaturated fats. But the heat destroys all the aromas of the olive oil. Therefore it is recommended to use in the kitchen for cooking and frying a simple olive oil – without any prominent aromas – and to use a high value oil to improve the meal after the cooking.

11 The hisTory of The forTress casTeLLarThe path to your right is leading to the former fortress Castellar. It is a high altitude fortress, from where you have a beautiful panorama.This was very important in former times, as you could easily supervise the natural transportation routes – the river Durance and its surroundings, the Luberon, the gorges of Meyrargues and even the Mont Sainte Victoire.In 2007 the fortress Castellar was part of major excavation, which was done by numerous members of the University of Provence Aix-Marseille and which was headed by the CNRS(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique).The fortress had been constructed at the end of the Iran Age on a surface of more than a hectare. On this surface you can easily distinguish the fortress from the canal slope.

olive grove trail