Château de Ferrand is one of the few estates to offer old vintages. Its wines are produced on an exceptional terroir.
Another curiosity are the caves that have been dug beneath the property.
40m long and 2m high, these caves represent one of the most unusual underground constructions in France. They were built by Elie de Bétroulaud, under the reign of Louis XIV, beneath a hillside on his farming estate.
The underground is a geometric labyrinth of niches and benches.
Elie de Bétroulaud had installed orange trees, oriental jasmines and even birdcages.
The niches were filled with shells, mother-of-pearl and marble inlays, not to mention busts of Mars, Hercules, Caesar and, above all, Louis XIV. Here, he would toast with selected friends or ponder the trivialities of the century.
A man with a romantic soul, he took up poetry under the name Damon.
Louis XIV only ever knew the Château de Ferrand by name, and Elie de Bétoulaud only ever knew Louis XIV by reputation. The lawyer-artist died of a heart attack on his way to Paris to meet him in a horse-drawn carriage.
Although they belong to Château Ferrand, owned by the heirs of Baron Bich in the commune of Saint-Hyppolite, they are freely accessible.
Château de Ferrand
Saint-Hippolyte
33330 Saint-Emilion
Tel.: 05 57 74 47 11
https://www.chateaudeferrand.com/
Translated with DeepL.com
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