All of the defendants were acquitted in the case of the destruction of the Montredon farmhouse, a medieval building located on the Estoublon estate. The applicant association claimed 100,000 euros in compensation.
Publi-Information 
The case concerned the demolition, in May 2021, of a medieval farmhouse located in the heart of the Domaine d’Estoublona prestigious wine and olive property located in the Alpilles massif. The project, carried out without all the necessary authorizations according to the civil parties, had triggered a complex legal procedure, involving several entities linked to the field.
Belonging to entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit, associated with the Sarkozy couplethe domain had been targeted by a direct quote from an environmental association denouncing the destruction of the medieval farmhouse dating from the 15th centurythere Alpilles Defense Leaguewhich demanded 100,000 euros in damages.
The Domaine d’Estoublon extends over 17 hectares of vines and 120 hectares of olive groves. It boasts a history dating back to 1489 and today promotes the production of multi-medal winning olive oils as well as a high-end wine tourism offer. The site, which notably includes a 10-room castle that can be privatized, is part of an exclusive positioning in Provence. It is owned and structured around several partners, including the entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit, in partnership with the Sarkozy couple and the Prats family. © Château d’Estoublon / Facebook
A release pronounced despite a procedure initiated since 2021
Seizure of the case, the association of Alpilles Defense League had requested the joint conviction of several actors, including:
– Estoublon Holding,
– Stéphane Courbit,
– a former employee of the field,
– and an architectural firm intervened on the site.
The association believed that the destruction of the Montredon farmhouse, a building of medieval originhad been carried out outside the legal framework. The facts therefore date back to May 2021, when thebuilding located on the Domaine d’Estoublon had been completely destroyed. Another legal structure linked to the domain, the agricultural society of Domaine d’Estoublonhad already been prosecuted in this case.
In May 2025, the latter was the subject of a conviction in the context of an appearance on prior admission of guilt (CRPC), with a fine of 150,000 euros, without this resolving the entire dispute.
The court dismisses the civil party’s requests
In his judgment delivered this week, the Tarascon criminal court finally acquitted all of the defendants, considering that the offenses denounced by the association had not been established.
According to the lawyer in the field, Me Kyum Lee, the decision confirms the lack of basis for the proceedings brought against the companies involved. The Tarascon public prosecutor’s office confirmed the acquittal, while specifying that the constitution of civil party of the Alpilles Defense League had been deemed admissiblewithout giving rise to compensation. The association was thus rejected its requests for 100,000 euros in damages.
In this ecosystem where agricultural production, luxury hotels and heritage development combine, theaffair of the Montredon farmhouse concretely illustrates the possible tensions between development projects and protection of historic buildings in the protected areas of the Alpilles.
/ © Château d’Estoublon / Facebook
