the soul of an estate the heart of a house

a fusion of two cultures

Welcome to Château Blanche Hermine!

Welcome to Château Blanche Hermine! Wine enthusiasts, passing visitors, curious beginners, or seasoned professionals, come and visit our estate – we will always be happy to share with you the passion for our work. At the foot of the Pavie hill, facing the medieval village, we welcome you by appointment to let you taste what we cherish the most:

More than a wine, the soul of a house!

Château Blanche Hermine

We named our estate "Château Blanche Hermine" as a nod to our Breton roots.

Just like the origins of our patron saint, Émilion, our roots in Morbihan (meaning “little sea” in Breton) resonate deeply within our hearts and souls. We find in the symbolism of the ermine everything that represents the essence of our work with the vine and the wine: Purity, nobility, and Breton identity.

Gilles Servat’s song “La Blanche Hermine” is a revolutionary ode to freedom that inspires us in the revolution we carry out in the viticultural practices of our Saint-Émilion Grand Cru!

The Cabernet Franc, also known as “the Breton,” which is the predominant grape in our Grand Vin, highlights our attachment to the bouquet and the tension this varietal brings to the whole. Our work is focused on bringing the most uniform maturity to the fruit through the principles of Gentle Physiological Pruning, a vinification process that respects the vibrant energy of this grape, and a meticulous aging in barrels, preparing it for bottle evolution that will make our Grand Vin, after a few years in the cellar, the perfect companion for your festive and gastronomic meals.

The ermine, emblem of Brittany

The ermine (the animal) and its symbolic representation in the stylized form of its fleck, which in fact represents the ducal counterpart to the royal fleur-de-lys, have been the twin emblems of Brittany since the 13th century. A symbol of purity, Anne of Brittany's maxim, “Rather death than dishonor”, is remembered when, according to legend, during a hunt, an ermine refused to dirty its immaculate coat by crossing a muddy river, preferring to surrender and die. The black ermine fleck found on ducal coats of arms and the Breton flag, along with the triskel, symbolizes ancestral Brittany. In heraldry, the ermine is a silver fur with sable flecks. Deemed morally incorruptible, the animal provides its fur to adorn the mantle of kings, the toga of magistrates or the camail of canons and cardinals. The label of our grand vin incorporates many of these Breton symbols, including the ermine in all its forms, triskels and other Breton coats of arms under the joint gaze of Geshtinanna (Sumerian goddess of the celestial vine) and Bacchus, otherwise known as Liber Pater, surrounding our family coat of arms, made up of two ermine shields bearing the coats of arms of Brittany, the Chinese Flag, the property (keys) and the village of Saint Émilion... In short, a whole family history!

A COUPLE OF PASSIONATE WINEMAKERS

Our winegrowers’ journeys are rich & atypical

Emma-Xin

Emma, originally from China, arrived in Rennes for her studies in 2004. After a rich journey in the wine trade, she has been managing a vineyard property (Domaine de Courteillac) since 2015. Holding a university degree from the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (DUAD from ISVV Bordeaux), she ensures that our wine seeks a taste close to UMAMI (the fifth taste), which she defines as the balanced encounter between antagonistic organoleptic elements that make up our Grand Cru, namely: Mineral alkalinity and Fruity richness, Nervous tension and Structured body, Elegance of bitterness and Fruit power..

She gives to our Grand Cru a taste reminiscent of UMAMI, the fifth taste, resulting from a subtle harmony between seemingly opposing elements.

Christophe Le Bail

Christophe was born in Lorient, in the Morbihan cradle of Aemilianus, just 1,200 years after the hermit monk’s death.

His professional life brought him into contact with the wine of Saint-Émilion through the trade and commerce of an old village family, and it was only natural that, after years of perfecting his skills and building wines for the trade, he decided to embark on the adventure of winegrowing in 2013. His curiosity frees him from all dogma, and his philosophy naturally brings him closer to organic or even biophysiological & biodynamic viticulture, which we call Biodyphy viticulture.

By applying the precepts of biodynamics coupled with the gentle physiological pruning known as Dezeimeris pruning , he feels himself to be a viticultural architect of the living.

Our wine is our story, of couple and family, which leads us to live at the heart of our passion. Humble on our land and beneath our sky, demanding in our pursuit of excellence,

aware that we are building a legacy that, to paraphrase the great Saint Exupéry,

“we have not inherited from our parents, but we borrow from our children.“