History of a
Vineyard from 4 generations of passionate people
Family property for 4 generations, Elisabeth and David represent the 4th generation. Over the years, each generation has contributed its stone to the building, allowing us to show you the path we have taken...
Key dates in Vermont
First trace of our history
In the 1880s, Pierre Dufourg and Augustine Jeanne Teuilly, my great-grandparents, acquired plots of vines near Targon.
1840
Historical reputation
Renowned since the beginning, Vermont is a historical property of the Entre-Deux-Mers.
"This vineyard has always been considered as one of the first growths, not only of the region but of the whole Entre-Deux-Mers", extract from the Féret. In this III Edition of 1874, the Féret plunges us into the history of the estate and recounts some anecdotes about the innovative and strategic ideas of the owner, Mr. Descrambes, which placed the wines of Vermont at a high level of quality, echoing our current status.
1874
Cooperative and mechanisation
My grandfather Jean Dufourg, known as Gabriel, was born on September 3, 1890. Despite a turbulent period, his creative spirit will reveal itself during the 1914-1918 war. During his captivity in Nancy, Lorraine, by the Germans, he sketched several drawings depicting scenes of daily life during the war, he imagined projects of agricultural machinery... He was one of the founders of the cooperative cellar of Grangeneuve in Romagne. He was one of the winegrowers who decided to join forces in the face of the crisis. Jean kept in exploitation the vineyard parcels located on Bellebat, about 10 hectares.
1936
Innovations
Pursuing his passion for mechanics, Jean filed a patent on May 23, 1938 for the invention of a device adaptable to any plow for automatic plowing. He had a rich social and professional life, and was Mayor of Bellebat for two terms from 1953 to 1965. In 1955, he was President of the Local Credit Union of Targon. In 1956, a great cold wave immobilized France for several weeks, reaching vertiginous negative temperatures. In Bordeaux, the army was called in to clear the snowy streets. This difficult climate did not prevent Gabriel from obtaining on August 26, 1956 by the Comice Agricole de la Réole, the Diplôme de Vermeil for very good property management.
1938
Expansion of the domain and technical installation
Jacques Dufourg was born on April 14, 1935. He gradually took over the family estate and expanded it to 40 hectares, in the communes of Bellebat and Targon. On March 6, 1965, Jacques Dufourg and Colette Fauries got married. Colette left her job at the Bordeaux City Hall and joined him on the property for a new adventure. Following in the family footsteps, Jacques remained at the Romagne cooperative cellar. However, the 1970s marked the beginning of independent properties. In 1968, he created a cellar and made his first wines in 1969, and the awards followed... His innovative spirit pushed him to equip himself with his own bottling line, he built a cellar entirely equipped with stainless steel tanks, easy to maintain and clean. To meet the demands of his customers, he did not hesitate to invest in a thermovinification system (round, fruity, greedy wine...), a process that is now regularly used.
1968
Acquisition of the Vermont Castle
Jacques and Colette replanted the entire estate with vines, i.e. an additional 40 hectares, entirely drained, set up in an amphitheatre around the château. The sleeping beauty gradually wakes up and finds its initial function, the culture of the vine.
1986
An ambitious couple
After specialized studies in viticulture and oenology, Elisabeth joined the family estate alongside her parents, Jacques and Colette. In 1997, Elisabeth married David LABAT in the chapel of VERMONT, named Saint-Jacques in homage to her father.
1993
From boldness comes excellence
This will be Elisabeth and David's motto in their desire to continue the history of Vermont by giving it back its letters of nobility. David joins Elisabeth on the Vermont property, very involved in wine, he brings his technical knowledge, as well as his commercial dynamism resulting from 17 years in a large Bordeaux trading house. They carry out important renovation work at VERMONT. A brand new winery and bottling cellar were built in just 6 months out of the historic clay outbuildings. Investments in modern equipment to improve quality.
2010
Restructuring of the vineyard
Passionate and daring, Elisabeth and David set up their vision. They restructured the entire vineyard with the annual uprooting of 2.5 ha parcels defining a custom-made grape variety. Thanks to their efforts on the vineyard, they determine the type of wines they want to produce. Over the years, their efforts have already been rewarded by nice medals and notes from the most important guides, professional competitions and tasters. The rosés, the whites and the reds are among the best references of the AOC, the grand cuvée is in the top 15 of the best Bordeaux Supérieurs... Between audacity, modernity and tradition, they take great care to produce quality wines with a great elegance representative of their unique terroir.
2012
Wine tourism experiences
Vignobles et Découverte, Bordeaux wine routes, Vignobles et Chais en bordelais. From the beginning of their adventure, anxious to make people discover their wines and this preserved, magical site, they create a store, open their doors, welcome visitors, organize exhibitions, Christmas markets... to share their know-how and their passion. In 2018, they launch their annual event: the Feria de Vermont, a new wine tourism concept, a festive and convivial day in the pure tradition of the Southwest. The Feria quickly became a success (lunch on the spot, animations, ganaderia...) leaving an imperishable memory of Vermont to the participants !
2014
Creation of the Soul
The Âme de Vermont represents the culmination of 10 years of work, from the best grapes of our best parcels, chiseled to be the ultimate extraction of our terroir and our spirit. It is our winemaker's soul. "It is the reflection of all our requirements, the fruit of a precise work of "goldsmith" of our will to reach perfection. It animates all our senses, is marked by authenticity, rarity, modernity, and an exceptional drive towards gustatory ecstasy, the equal of the greatest wines of Bordeaux.
2018
Commitments
After years of practicing sustainable agriculture, Château Vermont has obtained HVE level 3 certification. This certification attests to our commitment to using particularly environmentally friendly processes that promote biodiversity, which is already very present on the estate. We are continuing our efforts to control our environmental impact.
2019
A future full of goals
This will to renew ourselves, to experiment, to create... which gathers us in our ideas of development of qualitative and innovative projects, with the objective of seducing our customers, guides us perpetually. Numerous projects are being developed in our minds and are taking shape as we go along. We are eager to present them to you...
...today
Contact us
05 56 23 90 16
chateauvermont@chateau-vermont.fr
Lieu-dit Vermont
33760 Targon
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