Chateau La Coste, Provence ----- of Wine, Art , and Architecture

Dr. Law Chi Lim

Chateau La Coste in Provence is the brainchild of rich Irish property magnate Patrick Mckillen . Wine has been cultivated in this area for millennia, and prior to being taken over by Mr. Mckillen in 2004, the 600 acres Chateau Lacoste had been continuously run by one family vintner for over 70 years. Under the new management, the vineyard received a modern overhaul, developed biodynamic farming and achieved organic status in 2009 and the wines are making good strides both nationally and international.

What is so unique about this vineyard is how the owner has combined wine with art and architecture. The architects of the buildings in the vineyard read like a page from the who’s who in the world of architecture. Four previous Pritzker Architecture Prize winners are involved here---- Frank Gehry (winner ,1989) , Tadao Ando ( winner, 1995) , Renzo Piano ( winner, 1998) and Jean Nouvel (winner, 2008) . In order to provide a vineyard experience like no other’s, various world-famous artists were also invited to visit the place and to find a site that “spoke” to them to produce an art piece there. The result is a wonderful art trail (on a terrain with gentle hills and woods) that provides a delightful experience for visitors. It is not possible to give a full description here of the place, but perhaps just a few of my favourites to help to whet readers’ appetite.

Centre D’ Art ( designed by Tadao Ando)

The first stop for visitors to the estate would be the Art Centre designed by world famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando (安藤忠雄). The Ando signature is unmistakable here: from spaces defined by ultra-smooth grey concrete walls, to the use of light/shadow and reflections from the infinity pools and the glass window panels. The Art Centre contains the reception area, a souvenir shop and a restaurant that serves up some very decent food. Next to the centre is an infinity pool that houses Louise Bourgeois’s Crouching Spider. Story has it that creating this installation was a race against time in order to allow the artist to see the outcome shortly before she died, aged 98, in 2010. The ultramodern look of the place is further augmented by the presence of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Mathematical Model 012.

Pavillon De Musique (designed by Frank Gehry)

Frank Gehry is the architect responsible for some masterpieces like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao(Spain), the Walt Disney concert Hall in LA, etc. Incidentally, he also designed Opus Hong Kong (on Stubbs Road) , the most expensive apartment block in the whole of Asia at the time when sales opened in 2015. At Chateau La Coste, the Music Pavilion exhibits a classical deconstructivism style. This pavilion was initially built and used in the U.K., but later dismantled and rebuilt here, adding an interesting twist to the deconstructive nature of the work. Chais ( designed by Jean Nouvel)

The two new chais ( French for wine storerooms) consist of two sleek , gleaning barrel-shaped structures made of aluminium and steel that cover the huge underground state-of-the-art wine making equipment. Guide tour is available daily followed by wine tasting. For those interested in purchasing some wine: the white and rose wine are crisp and very pleasant to drink, while the flag ship Grand Cuvee red is of exceptional quality and value.

Art Installations

Apart from the architectural masterpieces, there are 22 modern art installations scattered around the vineyard, many of them interactive and thought-provoking. Here are just a few of my favourites:

--The two bridges (called Donegal) by Larry Neufeld that was built using Roman technique using bricks that contain iron and copper to give the bride an antique look , just to remind visitors that the Romans were once here planting vines over 2000 years ago .

--The Drop by Tom Shannon is a silvery sphere that can be rotated for viewers to get a different perspective of the surrounding areas from their reflections on the sphere.

-- Paul Matisse’s Meditation Bell is located in a secluded corner of the forest, and each ring of the bells produce resonance for several minutes to calm the mind. It is worthwhile spending some time here contemplating.

Need to know

1. Chateau La Coste in Provence is just 40 minutes by car from Marsielle Provence airport. It is a perfect stop-over for anyone touring Provence. 2. Do plan to spend nearly the whole day here. It is a wonderful experience just wandering around the vineyard and forest trails For groups, one can have a special tour package that include guided tour for 1 and half hours of the art installations, plus lunch. In summer, there may be concerts in the evening in Frank Gehry’s Pavillon De Musique . 3. The Villa La Coste , a complex of 28 luxurious villa suites have recently been opened to receive guests who would like a more intimate experience with the art installations with all the other tourists gone.