The history of the Chateau de Targé
1655: The dowry that launches the history of the Château de Targé
Joseph Phélipeaux de Pontchartrain offered the residence to his daughter Madeleine when she married a certain Joseph Gigault de Targé. It was our two ancestors who built the first two towers, facing the Loire, and who gave the Château the name we know today.
1850-1875: Two new towers
Henri Allain-Targé, descendant of Marguerite Gigault de Targé and René Allain, built the other two towers of the Château. He then welcomed the political world of the Third Republic, including Gambetta and Villemain, for many political affairs and discussions which probably took place around bottles of Chenin and Cabernet Franc.
1878: Same family, new name
Marriage of Geneviève Allain-Targé with Charles Ferry, brother of Jules. The castle then becomes the privileged residence of the Ferrys, and hosts more and more political meetings around the production of the estate.
1950: The Pisani-Ferry rebuilds after the war
Fresnette Ferry, the only descendant of the Ferrys, married Edgard Pisani, then a minister of de Gaulle. Together, in 20 years of hard work, they restored the estate to prosperity after the damage of the two world wars.
August 1, 1976: Young Edouard Pisani-Ferry takes over the reins of the estate
Edgard and Fresnette's son, Edouard Pisani-Ferry, 22 years old and barely graduated as an agricultural engineer in Montpellier, took charge of the estate. He invested in the maintenance of the vines to improve the quality of the wines, drastically reduced the yields, and built a winery equipped with temperature-controlled vats, revolutionary for the time.
1990: Expansion
Given the success of his vintages, Edouard acquired plots surrounding the historic clos, still on the edge of the coast at Parnay. Vineyard and environmentally friendly farming practices began to develop in France and at the estate.
2000: First environmental labeling
Adherence to the Terra Vitis charter which requires rigorous traceability of processes in the vineyard and in the cellar. The same year begins the long process of systematic analysis of the microbial life of soils, with the engineers and doctors in soil biology Lydia and Claude Bourguignon.
2004: Focus on biodiversity
Planting long hedgerows at the edge of plots in order to preserve and gradually redevelop the population of our endemic fauna.
September 2004: First harvest of Quintessence
Made from the best plots of the estate, this vintage was born from a collaboration with Pierre Seillan, formerly cellar master at the estate, and now recognized throughout the world as an exceptional winemaker thanks to his wines from Sonoma Valley, Tuscany and Saint Emilion. The Quintessence is worked differently from the other vintages in order to show the potential for concentration and finesse of the Saumur terroirs.
2005: Soil work
Investments for superficial soil work. These tools break the roots of the grasses over the first 5 centimeters of depth, in order to allow for ever more ecological maintenance of the vineyard while preserving the quality of the wines.
2006 and 2007: New vintages
These two years saw the launch of several new vintages that explored new horizons of winemaking with the estate's vines. First, the Rose de Targé in 100% Cabernet Franc, followed closely by the Coteaux de Targé, a sweet wine that we had never produced at the estate. The following year, the first attempts at bubbles were made, with a view to creating the Saumur Brut Blanc and Rosé that we know today.
2008: Opening of the lodge
Rehabilitation with the decorator Dan Kiener of the former apartments of the mistress of our ancestor Henri Allain-Targé and its immense terrace in order to create a gîte facing the Loire and the Château.
2015: Biodiversity certification
Adherence to the HVE label – High Environmental Value: Château de Targé is the first certified estate in the Saumur-Champigny appellation! This label mainly highlights the efforts made for the maintenance and development of biodiversity.
August 1, 2016: The Current Generation
After working in St Emilion, St Nicolas de Bourgueil, Argentina, California and South Africa, it was Paul Pisani-Ferry who came to the estate to take over the family adventure forty years to the day after his father's arrival. Fortunately, Edouard remains very present to perpetuate the methods and preserve the knowledge, and also to welcome visitors to the estate.
End of 2016: Launch of Organic Agriculture
The final adaptations are ready for the estate to switch entirely to organic. Inspection of the plots and launch of the three regulatory years of compliance with the AB specifications before officially obtaining the label, i.e. from 2020.
2017: Renaissance of the Clos
First separate vinification of the best clos of the estate: Gory and Clos du Moulin. The Quintessence is no more, and two new vintages are born! These single-plot vintages highlight each microclimate, and develop very different profiles despite their geographical proximity. To be enjoyed from 2021.
2018: High density
Planting Chenin in high density in order to reduce yields per foot on the plot of heavy clays and tuffeau alterations called Les Roches by our elders. In a few years, a new vintage to discover.
2020: Organic farming, Grolleau, and good news
Planting of a very small plot of Grolleau Noir, also in high density, in order to rediscover the qualities of this grape variety on one of our most beautiful terroirs. It is also the year of obtaining organic certification, and the birth of a new generation that will perhaps perpetuate the tradition of the estate?
AND TOMORROW?
Les vignes se travaillent sur le long terme,
en pensant chaque jour aux ancêtres qui nous les ont transmises et aux enfants à qui nous les laisserons. Chaque nouveauté met des mois ou des années à arriver jusqu’à vos papilles : en attendant, nos cuvées actuelles devraient vous permettre de patienter encore un peu !
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