johnny depp buys vanessa paradis
Thursday, 14 February 2008 | | |
Johnny Depp Buys Vanessa Paradis a Vineyard
It's been reported in the press recently that Johnny Depp has bought
his long-term girlfriend Vanessa Paradis a vineyard estate close to
the villa they own in Plan de la Tour, a small village in the Massif
des Maures hills 15km north west of St Tropez. Apparently he bought
Divinidylle. Divinidylle was recorded between November 2005 through to
June 2007. The first single, called "Divine Idylle", was released to
French radio in June 2007. This is the fifth studio album by Paradis,
the last being her 2000 release Bliss.
Decanter has said that the locals of Plan de la Tour were looking
forward to the couple's attendance at the village wine f�te.
'I often see them in the village,' said M. Teyssier, the f�te's
organiser. 'Vanessa has been in touch as she would like to participate
in next year's wine f�te. She will be a great asset to the event.'
However, a spokes person for the only local wine co-operative, Les
Fouleurs de Saint Pons, told decanter.com that the estate bought by
Depp did not contain any wine making facilities.
'It's not a vineyard, it's an immense property,' she said. 'It's vast
so it could have some vines on it but we don't receive any of their
grapes.'
I wonder if Vanessa plans to make their own wines? The vineyard is in
Provence which makes a very different style of wine compared to
Bordeaux. Depp is known for his love of Bordeaux wines.
Historically Provence is the birthplace of the first French vineyards.
The Phoenicians brought the vine with them when they founded
Marseilles and later even Caesar himself warmed to the wines produced
there. A large variety of grapes is used in Provence - among the red
varieties there are Carignan, Cinsault, Mourv�dre and Tibouren.
Amongst the whites are Ugni, Clairette, Bourboulenc Blanc and Rolle.
Depp's favourite wine is Bordeaux third growth Ch�teau Calon-S�gur.
Petrus and Ch�teau Cheval-Blanc are also among the actor's favourites.
'With those wines, you reach nirvana', he told Madame Figaro magazine.
He has good taste!
Interestingly Ch�teau Chadeuil and Ch�teau les Graves de Barrau are
made from a strict selection from the best vats carried out by
Dominique H�brard of Cheval Blanc fame. The result are wines which
have lots of finesse and all the characteristics of a great Bordeaux:
well balanced tannins marked by the expressive fruitiness of the
terroir.
The H�brard family's involvement with wine goes all the way back to
1832 when it bought the prestigious Ch�teau Cheval Blanc which was
sold 165 years later. Maison H�brard works hard for the last 20 years
to build and preserve the strong ties it has with its faithful
winegrowers. Dominique is also the wine maker for Belfont Belcier
which is a fabulous St Emilion Grande Cru Classe wine which has
recently been upgraded in the Classification system.
If Vanessa does start making her own wines it will be interesting to
see how they turn out - she has Depp's palate to live up to!
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