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he "Chateau du Donjon", once the property of the monks of the abbey
of Caunes, has been family property since the 15th century. It takes its name
from the ancient chateau of Bagnoles and from its picturesque 13th century donjon
(keep) that shoots up in the middle of the cellar.
 The oldest property deed is
an amusing document which refers to a dam built on the river next to a place called
"La Galinière". That year, the dam had been carried away when
the Clamoux (a small stream that descends from Nore peak, the summit of the Montaigne
Noire (Black Mountain) which forms the southerly most foothills of the Cévènes
mountains). The inhabitants of the village helped the owner to rebuild. The owner,
as an expression of gratitude, gave the villagers the right to use the water for
their gardens. This right, which was written down and notarized, began at noon
on Saturday and ended Monday morning at dawn! The rest of the time, the water
was reserved for the mill (which still exists, although it has not worked for
a very long time!). |
Today, the water is still used for the village gardens, but the watering time
is not limited because the mill is no longer used to grind flour.
The vineyard of the "Château du Donjon"
stretch out over the rural district of BAGNOLES,
the western part of the Minervois region, in the
Clamoux area. It is divided into two large parts,
one for A.O.C. Minervois, and the other for "Vin
de Pays" (Regional wines). The yields of
these wines are very limited, in order to obtain
a magnificent concentration of aromas.
Grapes
are harvested at perfect maturity, and the individual
grapes are removed from the stems when it begins
the wine making process. Only the individual grapes
are put in the vat. The only exception to this
rule are the best "Carignan" grapes
which are made into wine by a process of carbonic
maceration. During the fermentation (which lasts
as long as possible in order to extract all of
the aroma), the temperature is constantly monitored.
And when it comes out of the vat, only the free
flowing wine is kept, which represents the finest
quality. |
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The pressed wine, which has more color and more tannic acid, is set aside for
later use to be blended, as needed, with the wine to be bottled.
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