Chateau La Dournie

Château La Dournie’s origins trace back to the 16th century when it was a smallholding dedicated to mixed farming and sheep rearing for wool production. Over time, it has evolved into a wine estate. The château itself is surrounded by 45 hectares of vines and natural scrubland, interwoven with hedgerows and a 19th-century park featuring rare tree species. La Dournie is now in the hands of a young, dynamic team led by winemaker Noémi Vidil whose focus is for the working in total harmony with both the nature and the people around them through organic viticulture (gaining certification in 2017), and through community-focused events run from their ancient Orangerie.

Saint-Chinian is a varied region which sits at the final reaches of the Massif Central, before it drops down towards the Mediterranean. The appellation is home to a variance of terroir including schist, limestone and marl-rich alluvial soils. For La Dournie, 20 of their hectares sit across schist slopes, whilst their remaining vines sit along the banks of the Vernazobre River - on these rich alluvial soils – which is perfectly adapted to their white varietals. The team have also been very dynamic in their working of the land; working extensively with cover crops, the use of pheromones over insecticides, as well as building hedgerow corridors for animals and bat boxes.

The estate follows a low-intervention approach to winemaking, ensuring that the wines reflect their terroir. Whites and rosés undergo cold pressing and light stirring at the end of fermentation to enhance freshness and structure. Meanwhile, the reds undergo a gentle extraction to preserve fruit purity. The cellar, originally built around 1900, is being modernized with smaller vats for precise parcel-based vinifications and an expanded barrel-aging room.