Winner of the 2019 Wine Tourism Trophies Golden Prize in the “Stay at the domain” category, discover the Chateau de Mercuès and its exceptional heritage dating from the thirteenth century. Stay in the renovated rooms and taste the black truffles, prepared by a great chef, and the renowned Malbec wines.  

The Roman-Byzantine Chateau de Mercuès, just outside Cahors, is not to be missed. Georges Vigouroux, a pioneer of the Cahors and Malbec wines, acquired the historic site in 1983. As well as restructuring the vineyard, which today covers 38 hectares, he took the visionary step of building a huge wine cellar, and indeed was one of the first to commission architects to design wine cellars.

‘From here you can see history coming towards you,’ said General de Gaulle after staying at the chateau.

Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux continued the work of his father. As the winners of national and international awards, the Malbecs from his cellars are among the best wines in the world. 

Make yourself at home in a thirteenth-century chateau

If the boost given to winemaking at Chateau de Mercuès was decisive in saving this distinguished residence, the investments on the inside weren’t overlooked either. The history of this thirteenth-century chateau makes this member of Relais & Chateaux a rare gem indeed. Seven hundred years! Few places can boast of such a history. ‘From here you can see history coming towards you,’ said General de Gaulle after staying at the chateau in 1954. In keeping with this heritage, Christine Vigouroux, in charge of the decoration, restored the bedrooms in a timeless architectural style that gives this Relais & Châteaux residence the ‘soul of a house’ in which guests feel at home.

A warm welcome from the wine district of Malbec

Julien Poisot, who will play you songs on the piano, provides creative and authentic cooking. The products are mostly local: lamb from Quercy, veal from Corrèze, and beef from Aubrac. The black truffles from Quercy are given pride of place on the menu, as the Vigouroux family has planted a thousand trees to produce their own Tuber melanosporum in the much sought-after wine district of Lalbenque. Yann Potet, master of the house, gives visitors a warm, sincere and unforgettable welcome, including a visit to the wine cellars. The hospitality is delightful, and the experience exquisite.   

A landscape of valleys dotted with cypress trees, churches and vineyards. Get on a Vespa motor scooter for an unusual wine discovery tour among the vineyards of Gaillac in ‘the little Tuscany’ of the Tarn district.  

On the country roads of the Gaillac wine district, the Vespa scooter is the ideal way to appreciate these picture-postcard landscapes where you will discover ancient medieval villages and chateaux perched on hillsides. Visit Puycelsi and Castelnau-de-Montmiral, which are listed among the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’, and the episcopal city of Albi, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Meet the winemakers, taste the Gaillac wines and savour delicious gourmet food. From your Vespa scooter, watch the beauty of ‘little Tuscany’ unfold before your eyes.

On the programme of this trip around the Gaillac vineyards: medieval fortified towns and chateaux set in a landscape of vineyards bathed in southern sunshine and accompanied by Gaillac wines!

From chateau to chateau, crossing hills and valleys, the Country of the Medieval Villages and the Vineyards of Gaillac wine trip takes you to charming hillside villages and the famous ancient fortified towns. Labelled Vineyards & Discoveries (Vignobles & Découvertes), it crosses the wine district of Gaillac, near the town of Albi, in the Tarn. The wines of Gaillac, the landscape and the history combine to make this a charming and pleasurable experience. 

Travel through the most beautiful vineyards of France’s south-west, following a carefully prepared route, and at each stage discover a prestigious museum.

A vineyard, a museum! This four-day round trip takes you to the vineyards of south-west France and around the greatest museums of the Occitania region. The first stop is a visit to the Gaillac vineyard and the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in the heart of the former episcopal city of Albi, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Then we head to the Aveyron, home to the exceptional Soulages Museum in Rodez and the Marcillac vineyard. The next day takes us to the Lot district and the Henri Martin Museum at Cahors. The trip finishes with visits to the Fronton vineyard and the cultural jewel of Montauban: the Ingres Museum.

Acknowledged as one of the best winemakers in the world, Alain Brumont has revived the Madiran wine and the Tannat grape variety. Today his Chateaux Bouscassé and Montus (AOP Madiran) vineyards produce world-class prizewinning wines.  

You have developed a genuine philosophy? 

I’m like the foot of the vine. I have come from the ground, I was born next to vines, and I live in partnership with my environment: the best soil and climate. I want to express the idea that I have about this environment, to interpret the essence of the soil, the climate and allow people to enjoy this alchemy in a glass five, 20 or 30 years from now .... I want to offer the best interpretation of the Gascony region and a wine to accompany all the important moments and events in life.

And a very personal method? 

Each portion of my vines is separated by wood to protect them from contamination; I am one of the rare winegrowers who doesn’t use insecticides! I only use water from our springs, which come out of our unpolluted hills. Our vines have grass growing around them, the land is rich in ancestral plant life and the vine rows are perfectly orientated so that the grapes get 15 hours of sunlight each day. Each grape receives individual attention (200 hectares of vines are pruned five to seven times a year). That is almost a world record!

Is the winemaking also performed in a special way?

We hope to nourish the imagination of the wine tasters by telling a story: about humanity, a particular place, a specific soil, a civilization ... To give them sensations of taste, smell and even touch. These are the elements of winemaking. It is the art of composing the ideal division between the grape varieties and the land and giving your wine something special, which will make it unique and exceptional.  

Travel through the kingdom of Cahors, the wine king of south-west France. Follow the winding roads, the vineyards bathed in golden light, the meandering pathways of the Lot River.

During your voyage, the grand sweep of human history intertwines with the intimate local stories of the winemakers’ families, who welcome you to their vineyards to share the fruits of their passion for the wines of France’s south-west. Labelled Vignobles & Découvertes (Vineyards & Discoveries), the ‘Destination Cahors Malbec’ route circles the wine district of Cahors. The various stages of this trip take you through historic sites, magnificent countryside, and vineyards.

The journey starts in Cahors, the regional capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and takes you all the way to the authentic golden-stoned villages of the Lot Valley, one of the most beautiful regions in France, at the moment of the year when the vineyards are at their best.