Jardins du Château Val Joanis

The Jardins du Château Val Joanis are formal and productive gardens attached to the Château Val Joanis winery west of Pertuis in France’s Vaucluse department. Although private in ownership, the gardens are open to the public and are recognized by the French Ministry of Culture as one of France’s Remarkable Gardens. Their design draws on the character of the seventeenth-century Provençal bastide that occupies the estate, combining ornamental planting, kitchen-garden traditions, fruit cultivation, and views across the surrounding vineyards. The site has a much older history than its current garden layout. The château stands on the location of an ancient Roman villa, and stones associated with that earlier occupation have been incorporated into the garden. The building also bears the arms of Jean de Joanis, who served as secretary to Louis III of Naples. The estate was held by the Arnaud family until the seventeenth century and became a fief in 1754. During the nineteenth century, the house and estate declined into disrepair. Jean-Louis Chancel acquired the property in 1977 and subsequently re-established it as a major wine estate. From 1979 to 1999, he planted 186 hectares of vines and commissioned architect Jean-Jacques Pichoux to design a modern winery influenced by Dominican architectural forms. The garden project began in 1978 when Cécile Chancel initiated the creation of a seventeenth-century-style kitchen garden on terraces cut into the hillside beside the vineyards. She researched historical and regional garden styles and worked with landscape gardener Tobie Loup de Vian. The garden reached its present overall form by 1990. The layout is organized across three principal terraces. The upper terrace combines a kitchen garden with flowers and culinary or aromatic plants. Its planting includes lavender shaped into spheres, squash, salad crops, fennel, herbs, tomatoes trained on bamboo structures, and decorative pyramids of ivy and hops. The middle terrace emphasizes flowers, especially roses, with paths edged by German irises and yew trees clipped into cones. The lower terrace contains fruit trees, including old varieties of apples and pears, together with an herb garden, asters, and topiary boxwood. A pergola or arbor planted with climbing roses and trumpet creeper connects the terraces as the garden rises up the slope. Seating and tables are positioned at viewpoints overlooking the garden and the vineyards. Flowering is particularly prominent in June and July, while September offers seasonal changes in the vineyard and trees. The garden’s significance rests on the combination of historical inspiration, horticultural variety, vineyard setting, and public cultural access rather than on the sale of branded consumer products.

The gardens form part of the Château Val Joanis estate near Pertuis in the Vaucluse department of southern France. The château occupies the site of an ancient Roman villa, and some stones associated with the Roman-period occupation were reused as features within the garden. The building is decorated with the arms of Jean de Joanis, identified with a secretary of Louis III of Naples. The estate remained in the hands of the Arnaud family until the seventeenth century and was granted the status of a fief in 1754. By the nineteenth century, the house and estate had fallen into ruin. A new phase began in 1977, when Jean-Louis Chancel purchased the property. He developed the estate as a winery, planting 186 hectares of vines between 1979 and 1999. He also commissioned architect Jean-Jacques Pichoux to create a modern winery building whose design drew on the architectural language of the Dominican Order. This wine-estate redevelopment supplied the agricultural and visual setting for the garden that visitors see today. In 1978, Cécile Chancel began creating a garden inspired by the kitchen gardens associated with seventeenth-century Provençal bastides. Terraces were cut into the hillside next to the vineyards, and the project was developed through research into different historical and regional garden traditions. Landscape gardener Tobie Loup de Vian assisted with the work. The garden had reached its present form by 1990. The design is structured around three terraces. The upper terrace is devoted primarily to a kitchen garden and flower garden, with lavender clipped into spheres, vegetables, herbs, aromatic plants, tomato plants trained over bamboo, and ornamental forms made from ivy and hops. The middle terrace focuses on flowers, notably roses, and uses German irises, conical yews, and formal paths to create structure. The lower terrace contains fruit trees, including old apple and pear varieties, as well as an herb garden, asters, and clipped boxwood. A planted arbor covered with climbing roses and trumpet creeper links the three levels. Seating areas provide views over the garden and the vineyards. June and July are associated with peak floral interest, while September highlights changes in the colors of the vines and trees. The gardens were classified as a Remarkable Garden of France in 2005. They remain private in ownership but are open to the public, functioning as a horticultural, historical, and tourism attraction connected to the Château Val Joanis winery.

• 2005

  Recognition as a Remarkable Garden of France

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  The French Ministry of Culture classified the gardens among France’s Remarkable Gardens.

• 1990

  Garden reaches its present form

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  The principal garden layout and planting scheme had reached their current overall form.

• 1979

  Vineyard redevelopment starts

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  The estate’s large-scale vineyard planting program began under Jean-Louis Chancel.

• 1978

  Garden project begins

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  Cécile Chancel began establishing a seventeenth-century-inspired kitchen garden on terraces beside the vineyards, with assistance from Tobie Loup de Vian.

• 1977

  Jean-Louis Chancel acquires the property

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  The neglected château and estate entered a new development phase after being purchased by Jean-Louis Chancel.

• 1754

  Estate becomes a fief

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  The estate was granted the status of a fief during the eighteenth century.

• Roman-period site and early estate history

  [1]Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org

  The château stands on the site of an ancient Roman villa. Later historical associations include the arms of Jean de Joanis and the long tenure of the Arnaud family.

A historically inspired Provençal garden destination combining ornamental horticulture, productive gardening, château heritage, and vineyard tourism.

• Kitchen garden · 1978

  Upper terrace kitchen and flower garden

  The upper terrace combines productive and ornamental planting. It includes lavender clipped into rounded forms, squash, salad crops, fennel, aromatic plants, herbs, tomatoes supported by bamboo frames, and decorative pyramids of ivy and hops. The mixture reflects the garden’s inspiration in historic Provençal kitchen gardens, where food production and visual composition were closely integrated.

• Ornamental garden · 1978

  Middle terrace rose and flower garden

  The middle terrace is the garden’s principal ornamental floral zone, with roses as a major feature. Its paths are framed by German irises and yews clipped into cones, creating a formal structure around the seasonal planting. The terrace contributes much of the garden’s visual character during the main flowering period in June and July.

• Fruit garden · 1978

  Lower terrace fruit and herb garden

  The lower terrace contains fruit trees, particularly old varieties of apples and pears. It also includes an herb garden, a collection of asters, and boxwood hedges shaped into ornamental forms. This level extends the garden’s productive and botanical range while maintaining the formal design language used throughout the terraces.

• Garden feature · 1978

  Connecting arbor and vineyard viewpoints

  A pergola or arbor planted with climbing roses and trumpet creeper rises through the slope and connects the three terraces. Tables and seats are positioned at selected viewpoints, allowing visitors to experience both the planted spaces and the vineyards beyond.

1. 1Jardins du Château Val Joanisen.wikipedia.org