Château de Curton is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

located in the commune of Daignac in the department of

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

. It is situated on the edge of the town of Tizac-de-Curton, which takes its name from the first ''

seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

s'' (lords) of Curton. It is a

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...

ry in the

Entre-Deux-Mers Entre-Deux-Mers is a French region, well known as a Bordeaux wine growing region. The geographical area is situated between the rivers Garonne and Dordogne, and is bounded in the east by the border of the Gironde department and in the west by t ...

wine region producing wines classified as

Bordeaux AOC In the Bordeaux wine region there are seven regional '' Appellations d'origine contrôlée'' (AOCs) that may be used throughout the Gironde department. These are Bordeaux Rouge AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge, Bordeaux Clairet, Bordeaux Rosé, Borde ...

History

The earliest member of the Curton family documented in official texts is Raimond de Curton appearing in the 11th century, appearing as a Lord from the beginning of the 12th century. From the end of the 12th century, Regin de Curton made ties with the English Royal Family, signing a treaty in London. In the 13th century, the Curton Castle and its Lord, Amanieu de Curton appear in the records.

During the Hundred Years' War

At the beginning of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

asked Arnaud, Lord of Curton, to remain loyal to him and defend Guyenna against the French attacks. As a reward, he granted him jurisdiction over the four parishes around Château de Curton: Daignac, Espiet, Grézillac and Tizac de Curton. Later, two descendants of the Lord of Curton became famous during the war, Petiton de Curton who was a knight, and Sennebrun de Curton who fought alongside

Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, su ...

. At the beginning of the 15th century, some sources state that the Lords of Curton went to England and are related to the present Cureton Family. The Château de Curton became the property of Louis de Beaumont before being captured by the French and was given to

Jacques de Chabannes Jacques de Chabannes (ca. 1400-1453) was a French nobleman and military commander during the reign of King Charles VII. The elder brother of Antoine de Chabannes, he is most notable for his significant role at the Battle of Castillon in 1453. L ...

, Lord of Lapalice, who died in his new castle after becoming wounded at the

Battle of Castillon The Battle of Castillon between the forces of England and France took place on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne (later Castillon-la-Bataille). Historians regard this decisive French victory as marking the end o ...

French Revolution

Château de Curton remained the property of the Family Chabannes de Lapalice. In 1563, Curton Castle was made a marquisat for François de Chabannes. The castle was confiscated during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and sold as national property to Citizen Rabeau. From this time, it was passed on through successive sales and weddings.

Present

Since 1926, Château de Curton has been registered as a French national monument. It is a private property. Although there are no organized tours for visitors, a self-catering apartment is equipped inside the castle and available for guest rental.

Winery

There are several types of wine produced, namely a Bordeaux red wine AOC special vintage matured in oak barrel, a Bordeaux red wine AOC, a Bordeaux Clairet AOC and a white wine. The vineyard area, located across the villages of Daignac, Grezillac, Guillac and Lugaignac, consists of 42 hectares, of which 33 hectares are dedicated to red wine production, with the

grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

of 85%

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

, 10%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

and 5%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

. Nine hectares dedicated to white wine consist of 94%

Sémillon Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC. History The Sémill ...

, 5%

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

and 1%

Muscadelle Muscadelle is a white wine grape variety. It has a simple aroma of grape juice and raisins like grapes of the Muscat family of grapes, but it is unrelated. DNA analysis has indicated that Muscadelle is a cross between Gouais blanc and an unide ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curton, Chateau de Castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Chateau de Curton Châteaux in Gironde Monuments historiques of Gironde