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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Lagrézette, also known as Château de La Grézette, was built in the 16th century by Pierre de Massault in tribute to his father, Adhémar, on a boulis overlooking the Lot Valley. The estate was named La Grézette by Marguerite de Massault, daughter of Pierre, who inherited it and brought in dowry to her husband, Pierre de Maffre de Camburat. Over the centuries, the castle changed hands among the families Malegat, Lebrun, Belcastel, Malartic and d'Ambert, reflecting the alliances and heritages of the local nobility.

In the 19th century, General Jean-Jacques Ambert, hero of the Revolution, became owner by his marriage to Sophie-Amable de Malartic. His son, Joachim Ambert (born 1804 in the castle), was a brigadier general, writer and mayor of Paris. The estate then passed to traders such as Jules Duverger, then to the Leroy families of Barde, Roux-Marcé and Chevalier, before falling in the 1930s. In 1980, Alain-Dominique Perrin, a former leader of Cartier, acquired the castle and undertook a complete restoration over twelve years, giving life to the vineyards and gardens.

The castle has been listed as a historical monument since 1982 for its remarkable elements: staircase, dining room, chapel, carved fireplaces and dovecote. Its architecture bears witness to Renaissance influences and subsequent transformations. The estate, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, houses a vineyard of 60 hectares on kimeridgian soil, dedicated to the grape variety Malbec. The latter, historical in the South-West, was popularized in Argentina in the 19th century by Michel Aimé Pouget.

Under the impulse of Alain-Dominique Perrin, the castle also became a place of culture. In 1984, he welcomed contemporary artists such as César, Robert Combas and Helmut Newton, linked to the Cartier Foundation. The underground cellar, renovated in 2011, uses gravity for a partial vinification. The internationally award-winning wines (including Wine Spectator and Robert Parker) and Tony Blair's 2002 stay illustrate his current influence.

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