As of the 16th century, the estate was mentioned as the property of the Sinety family, a noble family of Italian origin who held the position of first consul of Apt no fewer than seventeen times. They already cultivated grapes there, as attested by a cadastral description of 1687. Over time, the property, called Las Davids, was transformed into a rural estate. Little by little, during the 20th century, vineyards and orchards gave way to pastureland for sheep. In 1977, the land of Les Davids was protected when it was incorporated into the Luberon Regional Nature Park.

In 1998, Belgian entrepreneur Sophie Le Clercq, having tired of long plane trips, looked with her husband, painter Yves Zurstrassen, for land in France where they could spend the summer as a family.

Around a bend in the road between Apt and Banon, a valley in an empty hollow, but with a beautiful pond, lay before them like a promised land. The estate, with scarcely a few shrubs delimiting the pastures grazed barren over the years, was asleep, waiting to come back to life. The first decision of the new owner was to convert the twenty hectares of cultivated land to organic agriculture.

With determination, the team assembled at Les Davids planted and sowed. The orchards flourished, the vegetable garden became bountiful. The harvests were saved as organic juice, preserves and jams that established the reputation of the estate.

Further back, identified on the old maps as the last wine-producing land in the Vaucluse, a hillside awaited. In 2004, vine stocks of Syrah, a variety characteristic of the Rhone valley, were planted there. After four years of patience, with the help of local winemakers, the first promising cuvée, called “Dernières Terres”, was produced in 2008.

The geology of Les Davids is characterised by limestone sediments laid down between the Cretaceous and Tertiary eras (from 145 to 2.5 million years ago) and by tectonic movements that overturned these deposits during formation of the Alps massif and the Pyrenees-Provence chain.

The valley of Les Davids is located between 580 and 680 m in altitude and has 360° exposure. The estate is divided into five different terroirs according to altitude, lithology and slope, conducive to a diversified viticulture.

The winery at Les Davids, created with a gravity-flow system, was designed in 2015 by the French architect Marc Barani, winner of the Grande Médaille d’Or and member of the Academy of Architecture and Beaux-Arts.

The winery, finished in 2021, is connected on three levels, allowing gravity to drive the entire process of maturation, from cellaring to bottling. This method ensures the integrity of the grapes and the work of cultivation done beforehand. This oxygen-free technique optimally preserves the wine’s aromas and colour.

Hugging the hillside and in direct contact with the soil, the shape and composition of the winery allow it to maintain the necessary cool darkness within its walls despite the variations of the Mediterranean climate.

The immense 30 x 6-metre overhanging rooftop terrace enhances its thermal inertia while offering a spectacular view of the concrete vat room.  During the summer, wines, accompanied by local dishes, are tasted on this terrace, and meetings take place during Les Estivales on the estate.

In recent years, the cellars of the most prestigious estates have been equipped with concrete vats. Far from being a fad, concrete has many good qualities, but requires constant attention. Concrete vats have a long service life, so they fit in perfectly with the sustainable vision of Les Davids.

Concrete’s porosity is comparable to that of wood. Neutral in terms of taste, unlike stainless steel or wood, concrete provides a truer expression of the terroir’s identity. Its tulip shape allows optimal contact between the liquid and solid phase of the bloom of the grape.