The Château du Bourg Joly is located in the hamlet of Mont in the commune of Saint Martin de Sanzay, in the far north of the Deux Sevres department. One foot in Poitou, native province of Alienor d’Aquitaine, the other in Anjou, duchy of her husband Henri II Plantagenet, not far from the Abbey of Fontevrault, where they are buried with their son Richard the Lionheart, these lands near Saumur produce wines that have been recognized and celebrated for a very long time (Rabelais residing a few kilometers from Fontevrauld testifies to this).
Historical
The Château du Bourg Joly in 1560 was a rectangular stronghold with outbuildings including a winery still in its original state. The estate was bought at the beginning of the 18th century by Sénéchal Robinet for his son who enlarged the house giving it its current neoclassical appearance. Pierre Quétineau inherited it from his mother and Bourg Joly was his residence during the French Revolution when he became the republican general who defended Thouars against the first Vendée insurgents in 1793. The convention did not forgive him for loosing Thouars by accusing him of betrayal and fraternization. His wife during his trial worked the vines of Bourg Joly; she courageously defended her husband so much so that she upset the tribunal, which condemned her also to be guillotined. Taken over by a notary from Saumur, the estate included around 40 ha of vines and the wine-growing buildings were considerably enlarged in 1836 by the semi-underground construction of a magnificent cellar of over 300m2.
Today
Wine production had been abandoned for several decades when the current owners took over the estate in 2007 with 2.7 ha of vines under lease. After having mended the buildings and recreated the initial enclosed park as an arboretum, the historic vocation of producing wines appreciated by amateurs was to be restored. This new step begins in 2021 with the bottling at the Château of the first cuvée Sakura of Chenin.