Our History
Château du Petit Thouars: a name that evokes Touraine and hides in the village of Saint-Germain-Sur-Vienne a castle "carved as a flower and seemingly weightless" as Balzac could have put it . Located in the vicinity of Montsoreau and Chinon, land of wine and "joie de vivre" dear to Rabelais's heart, the vineyard produces wines bearing the charms of Touraine: Fresh, joyous, silky and smooth.
A family closely linked to the sea
Free spirits, adventurous, talented scientists or civil servants, many great men of our family served in the French Navy. Aristide Aubert du PetitThouars (or Dupetit Thouars as it was spelled during the Revolution) fought in the Independence war of America, sailed the seas seeking La Pérouse and died heroically in Aboukir during Bonaparte's campaign in Egypt ; captain of the Tonnant, he had his right arm shot away, then the left and finally one of his legs was taken off by a cannonball. Refusing to give up command, he insisted on being put in a tub of bran that was on deck and led his men until he collapsed from blood loss. One of his final orders was to nail the Tricolour to the mast so it could not be taken down in surrender.
His brother, Aubert, was one of the first botanist who traveled to Mauritius. He was appointed director of the royal nursery and became a member of the prestigious Institut de France ; Abel, their nephew, established a French protectorate on Tahiti. Abel's nephew, Abel-Nicolas Bergasse du Petit Thouars, whom he adopted, also became an admiral. He notoriously protected Peru from an invasion attempt by Chile, and sailed as far as Japan in 1868, where he managed to serve the French interests amidst revolutionary times.
Undertaking many projects in the new millenium, the latest generations of the family du Petit Thouars show how true they are to their ancestors . Yves and Marguerite du Petit Thouars planted and developped from scratch a new vineyard in 1975 and passionately look after the family patrimony, especially the elegant castle built in the typical architectural style of Touraine -octagonal tower, "tuffeau stone".
In order to celebrate and perpetuate the memory of their glorious ancestors, Yves et Marguerite du Petit Thouars plan to open a museum where manuscripts, travel diaries ans souvenirs, scientific books as well as models of the ships on which they sailed will be exhibited.
His brother, Aubert, was one of the first botanist who traveled to Mauritius. He was appointed director of the royal nursery and became a member of the prestigious Institut de France ; Abel, their nephew, established a French protectorate on Tahiti. Abel's nephew, Abel-Nicolas Bergasse du Petit Thouars, whom he adopted, also became an admiral. He notoriously protected Peru from an invasion attempt by Chile, and sailed as far as Japan in 1868, where he managed to serve the French interests amidst revolutionary times.
Undertaking many projects in the new millenium, the latest generations of the family du Petit Thouars show how true they are to their ancestors . Yves and Marguerite du Petit Thouars planted and developped from scratch a new vineyard in 1975 and passionately look after the family patrimony, especially the elegant castle built in the typical architectural style of Touraine -octagonal tower, "tuffeau stone".
In order to celebrate and perpetuate the memory of their glorious ancestors, Yves et Marguerite du Petit Thouars plan to open a museum where manuscripts, travel diaries ans souvenirs, scientific books as well as models of the ships on which they sailed will be exhibited.