Our Story

The Château de Sérame is situated at Lézignan-Corbières

in the Languedoc, in a natural, unspoilt environment bordered by the River Aude and the Canal du Midi, at the confluence of two appellations: the Corbières, and the Minervois. This grand stately home, that has been the property of the d’Exéa family for over two centuries, was built on the site of an ancient Gallo-Roman villa.

Family history recounts that Pierre d’Exéa, a knight renowned for his valour, was chosen by the Duke of Orléans, then King of France, to be one of the seven knights that would challenge the knights of the Duke of Aquitaine on the jousting field in 1402, during the 100 Years’ War.

The family arms commemorate his victory, and now adorn the front elevation of the Château.

OUR STORY

Today, it is the great granddaughter of Anne d’Exéa

who is at the head of the estate.
Anne Besse, the daughter of Christian Gaffinel, an agricultural engineer and businessman, has inherited the spirit of enterprise that is rooted deeply in this family.

With her two sisters, Coralie and Marie-Catherine, and her brother Bertrand, they are the fifth generation to oversee the estate and are determined to play their part in its development.

Under their leadership, the Chateau, whose vines were certified organic in 2013, is now committed to a new model of integral ecology.

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE NATURAL WORLD

Protecting, caring, and establishing
a new, harmonious interconnection

between man and nature. Our objective is to adopt a sustainable, viable mode of production that is economically sound but also fair and equitable, a vector for human development whilst respecting the environment, and life.

A NEW DEVELOPMENT MODEL

For the benefit of future generations

A model that draws on traditional skills and knowledge, and profits from the most recent technological advances.

We have drawn up a comprehensive management strategy that takes into account all the parameters of the natural world – its eco-systems, soils, substrata, fauna and flora – and adopted a whole panoply of techniques to help us recalibrate our terroir.

ACTION ON MANY LEVELS TO

Maintain a lasting stock of “natural capital”

Our objectives:

  • Diminish pressure on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the use of treatments (phytosanitary products),
  • Protect natural resources by using nature as an element of production whilst maintaining its capacity for regeneration,
  • Re-introduce plant diversity to reinforce the role of biodiversity and strengthen ecosystems,
  • Re-create a mosaic of landscapes through crop diversification, lengthening rotations, and introducing agroecological infrastructures.

We sow cover crops to encourage the return of biodiversity and environmental balance in our parcels, and are developing agropastoralism. In parallel we have taken measures to reduce our water and energy consumption, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, to drastically reduce our carbon footprint.

PROTECTING AND CARING FOR NATURE

To allow the earth to give of its best
For the benefit of the vines and the soil
And the wine, naturally.

Our vision of a different type of viticulture has led us to quadruple the number of people we employ between 2020 and 2022, passing from 7 to 30.

For the most part they are highly skilled, accomplished technicians (agricultural engineers, oenologists, skilled viticultural workers, vineyard managers) with long experience in large, quality-driven wine estates.