Château Coussin

Château Coussin: the roots

2,000 years of history, from Marius to César

In 102 BC, the Battle of Marius, recounted by the ancient historian Plutarch in a book kept at Coussin, mentions the vineyards of the Marseille people.

In 1238, a Sumeire was a member of the assembly of notables of Trets. Throughout the 19th century, the family worked as "wine merchants and landowners".

In 1903, Baptistin Gautier, an ancestor of the Sumeire family, a farmer and grain merchant, acquired Coussin, which was later passed down to his granddaughter Nelly, grandmother of the current owners, Olivier and his sister Sophie Sumeire.

In 1930, Elie Sumeire met César, who would go on to become a great sculptor.

In 1987, out of friendship for Elie, César designed a compression of labels and a box. He declared: "I will do it for you and for Provence."

Since then, this box has held the finest wines of Château Coussin, under the label "César à Sumeire" (the signature of the artwork).

In 2025, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine crowned the winegrowers' work with a unanimous vote recognising Sainte-Victoire as the first Cru of the Côtes de Provence.

Today, Château Coussin, a historic family estate for eight generations, is one of the oldest in the Cru Sainte-Victoire terroir. On gently rolling, slightly elevated land surrounded by groves of pine, broom and rosemary that shelter beehives, the estate — classified High Environmental Value — produces rosé, red and white wines, along with olive oil and honey.

Photo credits: Serge Chapuis, Iannis Giakoumopoulos, Tarik Koivisto