Château de Coulaine is a centuries-old family business. Since 1470, the Chateau has been passed down from generation to generation and according to the archives, wine grapes have been grown there since 1430.
François Rabelais, one of the most famous French humanists, already mentioned Château de Coulaine in his book Gargantua (1534), in which he praised the wines from Chinon and mentioned the Château several times.
During the 19th century, the estate, like the rest of Europe, was ravaged by the phylloxera (grape louse epidemic) which destroyed almost all the vines. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Château came into the hands of the Denys de Bonnaventure family, partly thanks to a marriage. The succeeding generation gradually reclaimed the estate and recultivated the vines.
Chinon has been an official appellation since 1937. With vines planted between 1950 and 1970, this makes it one of the oldest, protected vines in the area. In 1988, the Château was completely modernised by Etienne and Pascale Denys de Bonnaventure. A gigantic project that took at least 30 years. Old plots were recultivated and new plots such as Les Pieds Rôtis and Les Picasses were created. Since 1994, the domain has been fully organically recognised, the first in Chinon, although pesticides have never been used.
Son Jean took over the estate from his parents in 2017. After various studies as an agricultural engineer and oenologist, he now lives and works with his wife Tatiana and daughter Anne-Elisabeth on the estate. With respect for both history and nature, they create beautiful, pure Chinon wines here.
