Faugères, Languedoc-Roussillon 34600

A 21-ha winery with a 17th-century manor, wine storehouse & outbuildings, in the Faugères region of the Hérault department, 30 min from Béziers. In an area where water and vines have dictated where people could settle for millennia, this property, consisting of a single, contiguous tract of land nestled within a natural amphitheatre of limestone cliffs and extending over approximately 21 hectares, 14 of which are agricultural in nature, boasts 10 hectares of organic and biodynamic vineyards that have been cultivated here for over 20 years. Accessible via a road, which discreetly winds its way to the property from the neighbouring village, the property's entrance opens on to the front of the dwellings, concealing the technical facilities in the back. Understated in appearance, the architectural complex, which stretches horizontally along the banks of the stream and rows of vines, includes a manor house and outbuildings converted into holiday cottages or storage facilities. As for the two-storey manor house, of approximately 300 m², it stands out, first and foremost, thanks to its warm ochre plaster-coated exteriors, white shutters and elegant ashlar stone window/door surrounds, which help differentiate it from its neighbours, while, off to one side, a building features pointed stone and a traditional genoise cornice on its gable end. Topped with gently sloping, barrel tile roofs, which unify the different buildings, under their roofs, the history of these edifices is rooted in their unique industrial past: first a grain mill before being turned into a large paper mill, the dwelling still contains, from this era of hydraulic labour, impressive groin vaults, which, today, stand side by side with more contemporary comforts. Further on, but still aligned with the other edifices, the two-storey cellar and winery are ready to welcome the fruit of this one-of-a-kind dolomite terroir, while this complex of buildings represents a functional and residential architectural style that blends in seamlessly with the surrounding natural landscape. Lastly, between these various buildings a swimming pool, located between a low wall and a curtain of bamboo, will be sure to delight both the property's owners and their guests on hot summer days.