Great Men & Legends

Great Men & Legends

People and anecdotes about our vineyard


Corrèze is a land of stories and there are many stories about our vineyard. Voutezac, Vertougit, Le Saillant, Allassac across which our vineyard extends, are names that are regularly mentioned. These tales are often rooted in verified historical facts, but they always unveil the importance of our winegrowing past.

Reading :
Our vineyard and its history feature in the very serious works:
 

  • « Vignes et vignerons de la Corrèze : d'hier à aujourd'hui », Roger Pouget, ed. Lemouzi, 2012
  • « La renaissance d'anciens vignobles français disparus », Robert Chapuis, ed. L'Harmattan, 2016
  • 500

    The Testament of Aredius

    • Originally from Limoges, Aredius, also known as Yrieix, founded the monastery of Atane (Attane) in the 6th century in Limousin. In this region, no less than six communes moreover still bear the name Saint Yrieix. At the time of the first monasteries in Limousin, the one founded by Saint Yrieix was the biggest.
    • The testament of Aredius (or Saint Yrieix) is a historical document, a source of information about life for monks in the Middle Ages, as well as about vineyards in general, since as in addition to consuming wine, ecclesiastical orders were major landowners and producers. The testament of Aredius records a history of Corrèze wines and their reputation, as early as medieval times. The Abbey Saint-Pierre in Vigeois, affiliated to the monastery of Atane, owned and cultivated vineyards along the Vézère River: it is 20 minutes from our cellar!
  • 1370

    Pope Gregory XI

    • Corrèze is the smallest region in the world to have provided three popes at a time when the Papacy reigned from Avignon: Clement VI, Innocent VI and lastly Gregory XI (1370-1378).
    • In an era when land and family were of paramount importance it is indicative of the power and influence of Corrèze and therefore its wealth and the quality of its wines: wine goes hand in hand with the greatest!
    • On the other hand, there is no evidence of the popes playing an active role in the vineyards in the Corrèze region. There is no chance that the popes sent vine plants from Corrèze to plant them in Avignon, in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A shame, it made a great story and one that continues to be told discreetly in Corrèze…
  • 1607

    Henri IV

    • It is said that Henry of Navarre, the future Henry IV, tasted Vertougit wine when he stayed in Ségur-le-Château and Coussac-Bonneval. The Good King found it very much to his taste and had it delivered each year. Of course, Henry IV deserves his reputation as a bon viveur, but when it comes to wine, he is mentioned by almost all vineyards in France! What we do know is that during the period of the Good King, Corrèze wines became known for their quality and importance. The diocese of Limoges remains the single-largest owner of vineyards, stretching from Allassac, Vars and Saint-Cyr to Voutezac... where our vines are planted. Historical documents from the diocese attest to a fine production in Voutezac, where the diocese owns vines between the villages of Vertougit and Le Saillant, both considered great vineyards until the 19th century.
  • 2000

    Jacques Chirac

    • President Chirac’s attachment to his Corrèze roots hardly needs mentioning… In the 2000s, at a time when we were thinking about breathing life back into our vineyard, grapevine-planting rights were strictly controlled. Under the presidency of Jacques Chirac we were permitted to plant the first vines of our new vineyard: just over 5 hectares to begin with. Was our influential contact from Corrèze pure chance or a symbolic coincidence? You can be the judge of that!