At Peneau Castle: mother-in-law and daughter-in-law side by side

Château Peneau is a 30-hectare estate in the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux appellation. Overlooking the Garonne River, this magnificent vineyard is managed by Dany and Emilie Douence. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law work together to showcase the terroir and produce wines while respecting tradition. Emilie explains: " It's traditional and family-run. The wines are simple, approachable, and welcoming. "

Château Peneau: A story of women in the Bordeaux region

The story begins with Dany, the daughter of a winemaker in the Bordeaux region, when she decided to start her own project. She and her husband purchased the property in 1997. " They wanted to stay in Bordeaux , within the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux appellation. These are very beautiful vineyards, although unfortunately quite unknown. They stretch across the hillsides along the Garonne River, " explains Emilie. In addition to the property, they also bought Château Haute-Sage: " It's a very beautiful 16th-century château, atypical for the Bordeaux region, in the Tuscan style. For this reason, it's a listed historical monument. It overlooks the Garonne, and all our vines surround the château, " she describes.

For a few years, Emilie worked in the audiovisual sector in Paris. Then one day she felt the urge to return to Bordeaux and join her in-laws' estate. " The connection was made through marriage, " she notes. " I wanted to get involved in the property. The transition went very smoothly. I went back to school to study oenology at the University of Bordeaux to further my knowledge of winemaking. " And the duo works well together: " Our strength lies in our differences, both in terms of our experiences and our ages ."

A new generation of women is ready to take over

A family business? More like a women's business, because on the Peneau estate, the men have another occupation: they are distillers. Only the women manage the property.

Traditional working methods from the Bordeaux region

Winemaking at the estate is traditional. " We have a foudre cellar. These are old oak foudres. It's unusual because they're becoming increasingly rare. However, we really like the result, so we continue. Part of our wines is aged in foudres and another part in barrels, " explains Emilie. What is an oak foudre? A large oak cask that allows for a lighter oak influence than a barrel.

The winemaking process is also traditional: “ Each plot is harvested and vinified separately. The blending comes later, ” explains Emilie. As in the rest of the Bordeaux appellations, the wines are essentially blends. With one exception: the wine dedicated to Château Haute-Sage is 100% Merlot. “ The grapes come from plots replanted around the château. It’s an interesting terroir because it hasn’t been worked for hundreds of years, so it’s very rich, ” Emilie adds.

" The idea is to respect our terroir and produce wines that are representative of the appellation. The land guides us, although aging also contributes a great deal. We produce traditional, round, and supple wines. We seek fruit rather than oak and tannins. "

The Peneau estate promotes short supply chains and wine tourism.

At Château Peneau, 60% of the clientele are private individuals who come to the tasting room. " The goal is to promote direct sales to the producer. To this end, the château is open every day. We organize open days, we welcome associations and tasting clubs. We need to attract wine lovers to the château," explains Emilie.

“ Today, we are trying to develop wine tourism thanks to Château Haute-Sage. We have a new room open for hire for events, weddings and other occasions… We also have a small project to renovate underground cellars that we could open to the public. But it is still under consideration. ”

A final word on the winemaking profession ? “ I love my job. You have to be a good winemaker, a good salesperson, a good communicator… you get involved in everything, and that’s what makes it so passionate. Every day is different. A winemaker has to be multifaceted. There’s also the pleasure of working in this magnificent landscape. Alongside that, I do a lot of tasting, whether it’s my own wines or what’s being made elsewhere. It’s a pleasure to discover the wine with each vintage. That’s what’s magical about it; each vintage, with its own unique character, will be different. ”

Our advice : don't wait any longer to taste the wines of Château Peneau, available for sale on Les Grappes .

Manon Mouly (for Les Grappes)