Château de la Bégude

A family history - Château de la Bégude was once the residence of the Knights Templar, then a coaching inn under Louis XIV, and has belonged to the Rey-Sabatier-Lefebvre family since 1896. Didier Lefebvre, the 5th generation of winegrowers, took over the running of the estate in 2015, bringing his own vision of organic viticulture and winemaking.

Terroir - The estate enjoys a very privileged microclimate (continental, dry and cold) and terroir (clay-limestone soil made up of red marl). As a result, the grapes in the vineyard reach maturity in a healthy and generous way. The grape varieties are Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Rolle-Vermentino and Ugni-Blanc.

Organic farming - Château de la Bégude wines obtained organic certification in 2013.
In viticulture, this means not only a total absence of synthetic chemicals, but also the preservation of a living soil. Fertilisers and soil improvers are organic (sheep manure, poultry droppings, beet vinasse, plant ash, for example) and non-chemical in order to preserve the subsoil, the soil and the vines.
In the winemaking process, this means that sulphites (SO2) are used to a minimum, but they are still present for ageing purposes, particularly in red wines.
The majority of the vineyard plots are surrounded by a protective natural barrier (forests, trees, hedges, copses) that encourages the habitats of beneficial insects, which are useful in the fight against pests.

Harvesting - The red wines are harvested exclusively by hand from old, goblet-pruned vines, the oldest parcel of which was planted in 1954.
The white and rosé wines are harvested at night, when the grapes are destemmed, pressed and vinified at low temperature. The vines range in age from 7 to 50 years.

Vinification - The red wines are vinified from whole bunches and then matured in old oak barrels (220 litres), demi-muids (600 litres) or foudres (from 2000 litres). They are vinified by pumping over (pumping the must from the bottom of the vat to the top) in order to homogenise the grape varieties, promote fermentation and keep the cap of marc moist, as well as by maceration for six days.

Harvesting at night for the Rosé and White wines preserves the aromas and freshness and limits oxidation.

The red wines from the "Château" cuvée are matured for around 15 months in old stave-wood oak tuns.
The red wines of the "Rey" and "La Dame de pierre" cuvées are matured for around 15 months in old demi-muids.
The rosé wines are matured in concrete or stainless steel vats, and the Château white wine in stainless steel vats.

Guided tours and shop open by appointment.

On-site sale of patented corkscrew (invented by the owner) - Lépine competition.