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Origin and history

The Esparrou Castle is a neo-Gothic building erected between 1889 and 1891 by the Danish architect Viggo Dorph-Petersen, at the request of Joseph Sauvy, president of the Perpignan Commercial Court. The latter, wishing to mark the end of his career, acquired in 1875 an existing wine estate on the site and added to it a park of five hectares planted with Mediterranean species ( cork oaks, eucalyptus, palm trees). The castle, facing east, consists of four levels including a winter garden, a library and outbuildings like a hunting room decorated with an Art Nouveau fireplace.

The castle illustrates the influence of Dorph-Petersen, who became the privileged architect of the Russillon bourgeoisie. Its main facade, symmetrical and framed with pepper towers, reflects the eclectic style of the era. The central vestibule is decorated with paintings by Romanian painters Alexis Macedonski (1923) and Gregory Apostoli (1927). The domain, always dedicated to viticulture, produces today wines of appellation contrôlée (AOP Côtes du Roussillon, Muscat de Rivesaltes).

Ranked a Historic Monument on October 12, 2011, the castle is quoted in literature by Claude Simon (Le Tramway, 2001), who evokes its social role and controversial wines. It also serves as the setting for the film Tout départus (2017) with Catherine Deneuve. The site, accessible by the departmental road D81A, overlooks the pond of Canet-Saint-Nazaire, strengthening its anchor in the Catalan landscape.

The name Esparrou comes from the Catalan esparra (bar or wooden fence), perhaps evoking an old agricultural boundary. The place is mentioned from the seventeenth century in the forms Lo Sparro or El Esparro, testifying to its ancient occupation before the construction of the castle.

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