Built in the late 11th century, Château d’Eck, is located in the commune of Cadaujac. It is one of the most beautiful medieval châteaux in the Bordeaux area. Flanked by four towers and an outer wall several metres tall, it also features admirable machicolations and loopholes. King William VIII of England established the reputation of its wines. His son, Edward, gave the château to the Church in 1287. The Bishops of Bordeaux lived there.
In 1302, Bishop Bertrand de Goth, one of the most famous figures in the history of Bordeaux, spent three years there prior to becoming Pope Clement V in 1305. The estate was confiscated and nationalised during the French Revolution. It was sold in 1816 to François d’Eck, after whom the château is named. Frédéric Gonet acquired this majestic property in 1999 and undertook an ambitious renovation of thechâteau. Vineyards was also replanted to confirm the estate’s winegrowing vocation going back nearly 800 years.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.