Mas des Infermières is an estate and winery based in the north of Luberon. The estate and its 30 hectares of vines have been owned and operated by revered filmmaker Ridley Scott and his family since 1992, who have remained committed to the preservation of Provençal winegrowing traditions.
Mas des Infermières has been producing wines since 2009 and the portfolio has expanded to include seven distinctive cuvées that reflect the best of the region's terroir.
Under the expertise of its Director, Christophe Barraud, and Cellar Master, Fabien Lacassaigne, the construction of the modern cave was completed in 2020 and the estate's first independent vintage released later that year. The wines have since won several awards, including four Silver Medals and two Gold Medals at Le Concours Général Agricole de Paris, two Silver Medals and a Gold Medal from Vignerons indépendants, and one Silver Medal and two Gold Medals awarded by ELLE à Table.
Situated among the southernmost terroir of the Rhône Valley, vineyards in the Luberon AOP benefit from the warmth of the Mediterranean climate and the cooling effects of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Mas des Infermières' vines are planted on colluvial soil containing clay and sand at around 300m altitude on the coolest north-facing slopes, sheltered from the strong Mistral winds.
All the wines have HVE (High Environmental Value) and Bee-Friendly certifications due to the estate's environmentally-conscious production methods and sustainable viticulture practices. Modern technology helps optimise treatments in the vineyard to reduce the estate's carbon footprint, minimise the use of chemical products and map sustainable reserves of underground water. Additionally, beehives have been set up within the vineyard and measures, such as avoiding insecticides and planting wildflowers among the vines, are taken to protect the bees.
Mas des Infermières makes two collections of wine, 'Source' and 'Chevalier', as well as a special cuvée, 'Ombre de Lune'.
'Source' is the name given to the first vintage made in 2009 by the Scott family, inspired by the abundance of water in the area. This historically had led to the Mas (House) becoming known as a place of healing, likely run by Italian nuns over 200 years ago. This inspired the name Mas des Infermières (Nurses' House).
'Chevalier' is a tribute to the noble history of knights in the region during the Middle Ages, when wine culture began there.
'Ombre de Lune' is a selection of the estate's oldest Syrah vines, aged in barrel. At the end of summer, the grapes are harvested at night to conserve their freshness, "in the shadow of the moon", hence the name.
In celebration of Ridley Scott's new film, Gladiator II, Mas des Infermières has released a limited-edition collection of its award-winning 'Source' red and 'Source' white wines. The exclusive, new, limited-edition labels feature Scott's sketched designs of the Roman emperors and brothers Caracalla and Geta, depicted in the film, on their respective bottles - Caracalla for the red wine and Geta for the white.
Additionally, Mas des Infermières has released 100 numbered magnums in the UK of its premium Ombre de Lune red blend, made of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache, named 'Imperatores' (Emperors). Each comes in a luxury box containing a commemorative card, hand-signed by the legendary director himself, along with a Roman prop coin from the film.
Geta is inspired by the Roman Emperor Geta, brother of Caracalla, played by Joseph Quinn in the film.
🍇 Grapes: 50% Rolle, 30% Clairette, 20 % Roussanne.
🎚️ ABV: 13%.
🔍 Colour: Pale yellow.
👃 Nose: Aromatic and floral with notes of white fruit and citrus plus a slight hint of honey.
😋 Palate: Dry, fresh and lively with notes of white peach, pear, grated almonds, a hint of marzipan and a mineral edge on the finish.
🍽️ Food Pairings: Fried fish goujons; chicken in a cream sauce; pasta with lemon, garlic and almonds.
Caracalla is named after Emperor Caracalla, who is depicted in the film by Fred Hechinger.
🍇 Grapes: 70% Syrah, 30% Grenache.
🎚️ ABV: 14%.
🔍 Colour: Dark ruby red with a tinge of purple.
👃 Nose: Notes of blackberry and cherry with touches of vanilla, cocoa, cloves and nutmeg.
😋 Palate: Notes of blackberry, cherry, raspberry and subtle chocolate with touches of bay leaf, black olive and liquorice, refined tannins and a tingle of black pepper on the mid-to-end palate that persists on the long, elegant finish.
🍽️ Food Pairings: A warming winter beef or lentil casserole would be a particularly good match for this wine.
Speaking about the collection, Ridley said: "I'm extremely proud of the quality of the wines we produce on our estate in Luberon and I'm excited for Selfridges customers to try this limited edition run of our Source wines and the collector's edition of our Ombre de Lune magnum. The brothers are two very interesting, colourful characters and I wanted to bring the bottles to life with these whimsical effigies."
Neil McDonald, wine buyer at Selfridges said: "We're thrilled to be collaborating with Mas des Infermières on this limited edition collection to coincide with the launch of Gladiator II. Ridley's playful sketches look great on the bottles and make them a fantastic gift for any film or wine fan. We're expecting many people will want to get their hands on one of the 100 Imperatores magnums, hand-signed by Ridley Scott and set to be a collector's item!"
Geta and Caracalla are priced at £25.99, while the premium Imperatores magnum retails at £300, available exclusively at Selfridges stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester and online, while stocks last. For cinemagoers, wines will also be available to buy at the bar at The Cinema at Selfridges.
