Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Fourques, located in the commune of Juvignac (Hérault), is a wine estate whose origins date back to the 11th century, with written traces attesting to the presence of vineyards. In the 12th century, the place was called "Mas de Carascaude" (or manso de Carascausas en Occitan), before becoming the "Landscape of the Tower" in the 18th century. His present name, Fourques, was given to him in 1891 in tribute to Philippe Monié, Baron de Fourques, who died in 1737. The estate now extends over 50 hectares, partially covering the neighbouring municipalities of Lavorune, Pignan and Saint-Georges-d-Orques.

In 1850, Adelys Bertrand, a protestant Cevenol industrialist specializing in silk spinning, anticipated the decline of this industry and invested in the growing vineyard of Pignan. His cru, presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889 by Hubert Desmarest, won a silver medal. Bertrand left the estate in 1919 to his daughter Jeanne, whose fragile health contrasts with the energy of his sister Marguerite, heiress of the castle of the Engarran. A plaque affixed in the castle, serving as a stencil to mark the barrels, bears the inscription: "Adelys Bertrand, owner of the castle of Fourques, by Saint-Georges-d-Orques, Hérault".

The architecture of the castle combines an old 15th century farmhouse, partially rebuilt after a fire in the 18th century, and a seigneurial house with rectangular looks (10 000 m2 of roof). The property, transmitted over five generations, is now managed by Lise Fons-Vincent, who renamed the estate "To the happiness of the ladies since 1919". It organizes oenological and cultural events, perpetuating a recognized wine tradition: in 2006, the castle is listed among the vineyards A.C. Coteaux-du-languedoc.

External links