The Château de Pennautier, located at the foot of the Montagne Noire, near Carcassonne, is known as the “Versailles of Languedoc”. It was built in 1620. Louis Le Vau (1612-1670), architect of Versailles, carried out work there, and André Le Nôtre (1613-1700) designed the gardens. The fireplaces are copies of those of the Trianon and a 100-metre gallery crosses the building to an orange grove. Finally, royal furniture, offered by the young Louis XIII (1601-1643) when he came to Pennautier, is enthroned in one of the rooms.
Unique in the local heritage, more than four centuries after its construction, Pennautier is still in the Lorgeril family. Nicolas and his wife, Miren, have even been keen to live there since 1987. “Living in it makes things easier. Life wears out places, but when they remain empty, the effects of time multiply.”assures Miren de Lorgeril.
The complete restoration and major works are now complete. The Lorgerils started, more than twenty years ago, with the façade. “We needed to motivate ourselves, the house was sad. It had to become joyful. Renovating the facade was not the most expensive, but the most visible. We opened up on one side to let in light. It changed the atmosphere.”testifies the lady of the manor. At the time, the 3,000 square meter building had only two bathrooms. Heating and air conditioning had to be installed, and the windows had to be replaced.
Growing external pressure
On the financial side, “the slope is a bit steep” for owners who have travelled the world in search of the right business model for their château. As in the United Kingdom, the property will not become a museum or an amusement park, but a place to live, between pleasure and heritage. No room is sanctuary, on the contrary. The estate must live and receive, in moderation. In July, the Tour de France riders of the Cofidis team spent their day off there. Then came Chinese and Vietnamese wine lovers.
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Because Pennautier is also in the heart of a vineyard, planted in 1580, whose wine was served at the table of the king’s officers. Today it produces 400,000 bottles, half of which are exported, from Belgium to Japan. The wine-growing activity is one of the complementary revenues essential to the maintenance of the site, along with hosting seminars and, of course, tourists. “It takes 100,000 visits a year to maintain a monument like ours and we have around 45,000 visitors.”
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