Just a few kilometres from Gordes, the Lavender
Museum at Coustellet was created by the
Lincelé family, cultivators and distillers
of fine lavender for over five generations. Their
farm of eighty hectares, "Le Château du
Bois", is located at Lagarde d'Apt high in the
Vaucluse mountains at an altitude of 1,100
metres.
The Lincelés are among the largest
producers of fine lavender in the region. The
lavender starts to flower in mid-June. At the end
of July, the lavender is cut by a machine and
then distilled. The museum features a host of
magnificent alembic stills dating from the 16th
century to the present day and provides
information about lavender, including its
history, growth and the products made from it.
The museum also has a small cinema and shows a
number of films about lavender.
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"Fine lavender grows on the arid mountains of
Provence above an altitude of 800 metres. It is a
small plant and only a single flower grows on
each stem. It reproduces by seeding. It is also
called "population lavender".
"From time immemorial fine lavender has been used
for its medicinal properties, and became known as
"the blue gold of the region" when it was sought
out by famous perfume manufacturers for its
delicate fragrance. From this time on, the name
"fine lavender" has been used by producers.
One hundred and thirty kilograms of flowers are
needed to obtain one litre of essential oil by
the distilling process. In a good year, a
plantation covering one hectare can produce up to
twenty five litres of essential oil."
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