The Vic family has been showcasing Preignes le Vieux since 1905 and the estate is now proof of the bond between man and land. Here’s the potted history : great grandfather Robert Vic bought the estate in the early 20th century. The fifth generation is now tending vines on 250 hectares of land surrounding the château.
In 1906, the great grandfather of the current owner invested in the construction of a new cellar, which still remains the unique place of winemaking/vinification of this estate.
78 huge wooden barrels containing 250 to 350 hl, were constructed on 7200m² and entirely devoted to winemaking. 15 are still visible, with a few still in use today.
Today, the cellar is a good marriage between tradition and modernism. The technology has helped with the improvement and transformation of the grapes to wine. Tanks that are currently used are made of stainless steel with thermoregulation, pneumatic wine-presses, cooling, de-stemmer…. A blend of traditional and new world storage are used, with a cellar which contains more than 300 wooden barrels, renewed every 3 years.
1965年随着一枚犁铧在普雷涅出土,一座名为“普雷克扎诺姆别墅”(villa preixanum),建于公元804年的古罗马别墅得以重见天日。 出土的双耳尖底瓮碎片证明早在2000多年前当地就已经开始大量种植葡萄。因为葡萄及葡萄酒艺术正是通过地中海盆地的阿格德(Agde)及昂塞鲁纳(Ensérune)古港口传至朗格多克(Languedoc)的。由罗马军团老兵开垦的“纳博讷”(Narbonnaise)葡萄园酿制的葡萄酒可与罗马佳酿媲美。它们通过多美亚大道(Via Domitia)出口至整个罗马帝国。大道分支直达普雷涅(Preignes)。
多美亚大道:公元前118年,古罗马行省总督多米第乌斯・阿尔诺巴尔比(Domitius Aénobarbus)建造了一条从罗纳尔通往比利牛斯的道路,即多美亚大道,随后成为一条极为重要的交通及贸易要道。它促进了葡萄种植的扩张,促进了葡萄园的繁荣。
维克家族的曾祖父是一位出色的建造师,1906年他投入大部分积蓄,在普雷涅建造了一座新酒窖。直至今天,该酒窖依然是酒庄唯一的发酵场所。酒窖占地7500平方米,曾安置78个容积为250至350百升的超大酒桶。其中15个一直保留至今。 今天的酒窖将传统与现代合二为一,通过技术革新持续不断地改善葡萄酒酿制工艺。 如可调控温度的超大不锈钢酿酒桶、气动压榨机、酒窖制冷机、除梗机······酒庄依然沿用传统发酵工艺及木桶储存技术,酒窖内共有300多只橡木桶,每三年更新一次。
这座名副其实的小型堡垒于1202年由佩泽纳斯子爵(Vicomte de Pézenas)建立。是贝济耶地区最古老的城堡之一。它完全用熔岩石建造,由数座不同时期建造的建筑物组成。它原本就是一座防御性城堡,用来抵御敌人的进攻。1355年,威尔士亲王对朗格多克发起猛攻,但普雷涅却在城墙保护下,成功对抗黑太子(Prince Noir)的袭击,安然无恙。在随后几个世纪里,城堡建筑历经数度调整。历史上曾有无数名人曾在此居住,据传西蒙·德·蒙福尔(Simon de Montfort)之子阿莫里·德·蒙福尔(Amaury de Montfort)曾下榻于此。历史上,城堡曾多次易主,1905年成为维克(Vic)家族的产业。城堡中曾长期无人居住,直至20世纪50年代,才由现任经营者及居住者的祖父及父亲着手翻新。