OUR HISTORY
On The first record of the chapel at Saint Martin dates from the year 987. Built on a site going much farther back to the times of pagan ritual, the chapel was probably modified in the following century when, by the year 1000, it had acquired its Early Romanesque style. Decorated with Italianate frescos at the end of the 19th century, today it harbours the silent memory of the prayers that filled it down the years...
The residential château at Saint Martin de la Garrigue encapsulates the continuous work of a succession of lovers of old stone whose continuous undertakings provide a cameo display of period styles. The château is surrounded by a large park, now home to innumerable birds, which was designed and planted out in the 19th century.
The edifice itself was built around 1557. Starting out as an ensemble of Renaissance buildings, the château has benefited from the considerable inspired additions and modifications carried out by its successive owners -lord of the manor, churchman, man at arms, local dignitary.
By good luck, all were men of taste with a respect for the past. The result is an overall harmony that surprises by its architectural balance and classical proportions.
In the 20th century, Doctor Bergé, a lover of old buildings, kept Saint Martin almost up to his death and undertook major work on it. It is to him that the château owes its present-day appearance as, also, its most splendid features. These include the great drawing room and the monumental staircase that he bought from the old town hall at Montagnac
The economic background of Saint Martin de la Garrigue is like that of many of the wine estates in the Languedoc: over the last twenty years or so, they have equipped themselves with a structure and facilities capable of producing quality wines with genuine character.
From 1992 until the end of 2011, Saint Martin de la Garrigue belonged to the Guida family who, with Jean-Claude Zabalia as estate manager, carried out a massive plan for renovating all the estate holdings, including both winery and vineyards.
Today a new chapter is in the writing: in the middle of 2019, the estate was bought by investors from abroad in Norway, specialists in property development and property investment. They own several Hotels, Restaurants, Bar and Nightclub scene's. The new owners were looking at properties all over France for almost a decade before they found the perfect one. When arriving at the Chateau, they immediately fell in love with the place and knew that this was the one. The new owner described their first visit as walking into a fairytale. This investment is for him an investment for life and generations to come. For him and his family it's very important to preserve the history, the property itself and still adapting it to the new centuries standard.
Major investments are now under way, involving both the vineyards, with a three-year plan for planting 12 hectares, or some 35 acres. A policy of combining grape varieties and becoming an ecological wine producer within 5 years, the development of buildings with the aim of making Château Saint Martin de la Garrigue the foremost estate, the Grand Cru, of the Languedoc.
Jean-Luc Parret is the estate manager and director, along with Gilles Habit who's the winemaker. Together their goal is to take the quality of the estate's wines to yet a higher level.
Today, all these efforts have won international recognition, underpinned by a tight-knit team whose commitment and drive has one overriding objective: to maintain Saint Martin de la Garrigue in a paramount position.
