Domaine du Château de Castelneau, in the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers region in Gironde
History of Château de Castelneau
Before the Castel-nau, there was the “Castel vieil”, probably a feudal mound raised around the 11th century by Ithier de Baigneaux, 200m north-west of the current building. The Château is thought to have been built in the 14th century. It was a simple quadrilateral surrounded by four walls and reinforced at the corners by four towers linked by a parapet walk.
It was not until the late 16th century that the château de plaisance was built against the inner west wall and set within this fortified enclosure. The corner towers were topped with peaked roofs and the main building was covered with flat tiles.
The Avatars
10 August 1759, a magnitude 7 earthquake weakened the walls of both facades and broke many of the steps on the main staircase.
In 1792, during the Revolution, the château was burnt down. The last lady of Gauffreteau died. She was laid to rest in front of the main building in the church of Saint-Léon. The roof structure was rebuilt, lowered on trusses and covered with canal tiles. Her heirs decided to sell the house, which was then divided up.
The two owners agreed to cover the château and repair the damage caused by the earthquake. The Seignouret family, from which the current owner descends, bought the southern part. They acquired the northern part in 1888 from the Yvart, Rocante de Bussac and Ferchaud families.
In 1988, Loïc de Roquefeuil, Seignouret's grandson, and his wife Diane took over the family estate.
Mesopotamia in Aquitaine
(mésos = mi / potamos = river) : An ideal geographical location
Castelneau is the watchtower of the Entre-deux-Mers region, keeping watch over the Garonne and Dordogne valleys and watching the tide roll in and out of the département. This geographical location in the centre of the Gironde makes it an ideal base for those interested in the history, architecture and wines of the Bordeaux region, as well as those looking for a base from which to explore the vineyards.
The cast of Château de Castelneau
Loïc de Roquefeuil
After studying law and political science in Bordeaux, he set up a wine distribution company in Paris, Versein et Minvielle (1978), 48 rue Sainte Anne (2nd).
The following year, the first new-style wine cellar/bar, L'Entre Deux Verres, opened its doors, shortly after Steven Spurier's Académie du Vin and Marc Williamson's Willy's Wine Bar. The cellar of Louis XIV's former Hôtel des Postes was the setting for «Les Bons Mardis», tasting sessions and introductory courses in oenology approved by the French Ministry of Further Education. He was part of the movement that turned wine from a basic necessity into an object of culture and social distancing.
With some of his students, he created a board game about French wines (1984), «Entre deux Verres» (nearly 60,000 copies were sold in three editions).
He has been a member of the jury for the Sommeliers de France exams on several occasions and takes part in a number of professional tastings.
In 1985, he sold part of his assets to buy out his cousins« shares in the Castelneau family estate in the Bordeaux region. Customers of the wine bar, who had become friends, enabled him to »complete the round of the table« by becoming shareholders. They are rewarded with cases of »their" wine every year.
Diane de Roquefeuil
Berrichonne and Parisian.
After studying to be a decorator, she lived in London and then New York. Back in Paris, she joined Christian Dior parfums, in the export decoration department.
It was her eclectic taste and passion for wine that led her to attend the «Bons Mardis» tasting sessions in the Entre-deux-Verres cellar. It was there that she put a face to her passion and decided, with the man who was to become her husband, to change her life and «go green» in Entre-deux-Mers.
So as not to be left out of the estate's main activity, and to better understand her new destination, she took a course in viticulture and oenology, which was rewarded with a diploma. The young farmer helps out in the cellar and is not afraid to take a tractor to her hairdresser's when her car breaks down... She also decides to devote some of her time to public relations.
She organises lunches and dinners to promote the wines of Château de Castelneau. She decided to refurbish the estate's buildings, in particular by converting the farmhouse, a typical Entre-deux-Mers farmhouse, into a gîte and guest rooms. She now plans to turn it into a fully-fledged business.
The Castelneau estate in photos
