Château de Lancyre

From its dominant hilltop position, Château de Lancyre looks back over several centuries of history. The oldest parts of the château date back to the 12th century, as evidenced by architectural details. In the 16th century, the estate was a large Languedoc farm with arable land, vines, olive groves, gardens, woodland, and two mills, one for wheat, the other for oil.

In 1870, Etienne Durand inherited Lancyre where he raised sheep and grew vines. During this period, the present-day winery was built. In 1946, the estate was expanded by Antoine Durand with new buildings and additional vineyards. In 1970, Bernard Durand, his brother René, and brother-in-law Bernard Valentin took over and expanded the estate once again.

The goal of the three was to produce quality wines, as part of a small group of local wine growers who helped each other and founded the Pic Saint Loup appellation. In 1995, newly graduated winemaker Régis Valentin brought new excitement and new ideas to the business.

The Pic Saint Loup wine region is the most northerly part of the Languedoc appellation. It is located 30 km from the Mediterranean sea, north of Montpellier, and encompasses 13 villages. The Coteaux du Languedoc appellation was created in 1985 due to the efforts of local wine growers to work collectively. Pic Saint Loup (named for the area’s prominent mountain) is a sub-area within the regional Languedoc appellation. Wine growers are working for it to become an appellation in its own right.

Château de Lancyre extends over 75 hectares of vines set in the foothills of the Cevennes mountains. Predominantly limestone soils and a unique, breezy Mediterranean climate with significant rainfall help create wines that display a characteristic deep color, delicate fruit, wonderful freshness, and refined, elegant tannins.