History
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 Château overlooks the village and the valley of the Landion, the source of which is situated under the Château cellars and still supplies it with water today. The main door of the Château 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 château 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 château 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 Château 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 château has been superbly renovated. The renovated Château has been open to the public since 1999.
You can visit the house, which, along with its land, has a great historic, architectural and wine-making heritage. The dining and reception rooms have retained their decorative woodwork and ceilings painted with cherubs and cupids. An outstanding collection of a thousand champagne glasses, including pieces designed by Lalique and Daum, reminds us that the village was the home of one of the Aube’s largest crystal glassworks until 1881. Its cellars have the “Champagne Tourist Trail” label, and visitors can admire the magnificent neo-Gothic stained glass windows.
The latest plan is to create a “Clos” (parcel of vines surrounded by walls) in the vast grounds of the Château, a project that is rare in Champagne. The “clos” will allow visitors to witness the different stages in the growth of the vines.