Orangey pink robe. All the quality of the Pinots, lovely fresh raspberries, cherry stones, note of red fruit. Cherry flesh, redcurrant, grenadine, budding flowers (rose), red fruit pulp.\n \n Producer Information\n This magnificent property overlooks the village and was built on the foundations of the feudal castle by the Marquis de Dampierre, a French peer who had bought the estate in 1773 in order to hunt wolves. The tower and wing were added in the 19th Century. Solidly built of dressed stone and firmly sited at the base of a mound, the Chateau overlooks the village and the valley of the Landion, the source of which is situated under the Chateau cellars and still supplies it with water today. The main door of the Chateau comes from the former feudal castle demolished in 1770 and is in the Louis XIII style with its fine sculptural decorations of grapes and vine branches. Vines have been grown on the slopes of Bligny for many centuries. The Marquis de Dampierre, who owned the Bligny glassworks, lived in the chateau in the heart of the village. He also owned the surrounding hillsides. The vineyards provided for his personal wine consumption, and the wine was mostly still. In 1871, the Marquis de Dampierre lost his son, killed at the front. Contrary to certain draft schemes, the railway did not come through Bligny: it was routed instead through Bar-sur-Aube. The glassworks was therefore moved to Bar. Phylloxera sounded the death knell of the Bligny vineyards. Its reconstruction began in the early 19th Century when the chateau was passed on to Baron de Cachard. Louis XVIII had made him a noble and given him the title of Baron. Baron de Cachard gave the estate a new lease of life as a wine-producing establishment: he decided to plant a large vineyard, which earned him the nickname of “Gentleman Wine-maker”. Baron de Cachard had been aware of the former excellent reputation of the wines in the region. He had also bought the vineyards of the former Sainte Eulalie Priory, founded in the village in around 1000. The vineyards that he planted and bought now form the Chateau de Bligny estate. In 1930 the vineyards covered forty-four hectares. After the war, the estate was bought by a gentleman from Tours, Mr. Lefèvre, who wanted to add a champagne to his range of sparkling wines. His plans did not come to fruition and the property was divided up. In 1952, the Lorin family bought the vineyards in several lots and replanted in 1954. We are now seeing the rebirth of Bligny as a result of heavy investment in production equipment, and the chateau has been superbly renovated. The renovated Chateau has been open to the public since 1999.
