2021 Château du Cèdre "Blandine Le Blanc", IGP Côtes de Gascogne, France

Since 1973 we’ve run our vineyard, vinified and matured our wines, with the greatest possible precision.

Léon Verhaeghe is born in the small town of Moorslede in the Flemish region of Belgium. When WW1 is declared in 1914 and the country is annexed, Léon is among the millions of Belgians who flee. He travels through France by bicycle and takes refuge in the Lot.

Later, his son, Charles Verhaeghe, meets Marie-Thérèse Rives, whose family owns a traditional multi-crop farm in Vire-sur-Lot. While cultivating the land and his love for it, he develops a growing desire to expand the scope of his practice. He watches with fascination as some of his neighbours transform their grapes: his project is clear. He too wants to produce his own wine.
The couple continue their multi-crop farming activities and plant their first hectare of vines alongside the lavender in 1958. This piece of land, characterised by limestone scree cones, forms part of the great terroir we know today.

1973 sees the result of all the hard work. Self-taught, Charles and Marie Thérèse Verhaeghe carry out their first wine bottling, alongside their usual distillation of lavender.
When Charles is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1987, the work becomes too difficult. His sons, Pascal and Jean-Marc, decide to return to the estate to help him.

Pascal, trained in viticulture and winemaking at Jean-Marie Guffens and then in Napa Valley, and Jean-Marc, a graduate of La Tour Blanche in Sauternes, have the necessary knowledge and desire to manage the vineyard.
Working in synergy, they inject their enthusiasm into the business and constantly experiment. Quality becomes the absolute priority.
With this common goal, they share the work: Jean-Marc makes cultivating the vines his speciality and Pascal devotes himself to making, maturing, and marketing the wine. In fifteen years, they take Château du Cèdre to the top of the Cahors appellation.

Today, they are still pioneering, supported by an excellent team. Pascal’s sons Jules and Robin have joined the family business, bringing a new dynamic to the estate.