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Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Lignères, located in Rouillac in Charente, is a neo-renaissance monument built in 1872 by the Rémy-Martin family. This rectangular castle, flanked by two square towers and covered with slate roofs, is part of a central park. It initially served as a residence linked to a winery and distillery, marking the economic importance of Cognac in the region.

At the end of the 19th century, the establishments Rémy Martin developed on the domain of cellars, a distillery, and related buildings (working city, orangery, cooperage). The site, bought in 1965 by Ricard (now Pernod Ricard), was modernized in 1974 with 56 boilers and automated cellars, becoming one of the largest in Europe. The adjacent vineyard, one on 205 hectares, remains among the most extensive in the region.

The castle was also used as a cinematic setting for the film Bang-Bang (1971) by Serge Piollet, shot in part on the property then owned by Paul Ricard. This link with the 7th art illustrates its prestige, as does its role as a reception place for the branded guests of the company operating the estate. In 2009, the Bisquit brand, associated with the castle, was sold to the South African group Distell.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its triangular pediments, its pinnacles, and a tower overlooking it. The property, which employed 120 people in 1990, embodies the alliance between industrial wine heritage and aristocratic heritage, typical of the major Cognac estates of the nineteenth century.

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