Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Pope Clement's castle derives its name from Bertrand de Goth, who became Pope under the name Clement V in the 14th century. In 1299, then bishop of Comminges, he received from his brother Béraud a wine estate in Pessac, called the vineyard of La Mothe. After his election as pope in 1305, he built a residence at the foot of an existing castral motte and actively managed the estate until 1309, when he donated it to the archbishopric of Bordeaux. The vineyard, renamed Vignes du Pape Clement, remained under ecclesiastical control until the French Revolution.

Confiscated as a national property in 1791, the estate was sold to Samuel Peixotto, a Bordeaux banker, before changing hands several times in the 19th century. In 1861, Jean-Baptiste Clerc, a shipowner, built the present castle and modernized the vineyard. After periods of decline, notably after a devastating hailstorm in 1937, Paul Montagne, agronomist engineer and future mayor of Pessac, bought the property in 1939. He collaborated with the oenologist Émile Peynaud from 1949 to reinvigorate production.

In 1983, Bernard Magrez, son-in-law of Léo Montagne (son of Paul), took over the estate and undertook a complete renovation of the castle. The vineyard, replanted from 1950 onwards, is now known for its traditional methods, such as the manual cutting of grapes. Pape Clément Castle remains a symbol of Bordeaux's wine heritage, classified among the caves of Graves since 1959.

The estate is also associated with literary figures: in the 16th century, Rabelais evoked the clementine wine, testifying to its early fame. Under Clement V, the wine of Pessac was introduced to the Pontifical Court of Avignon, contributing to its reputation. The archives of the archdiocese reveal the meticulous attention given by Bertrand de Goth to the equipment of the cudier and vineyards, reflecting an innovative management for the time.

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