the story

The Romans, King Henry IV, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Napoléon….The Chateau de Portets, the village and the harbour are an important part of local heritage.

1000 B.C : The Romans set up alongside the Garonne River and built the Harbour of Portets. They developed the trade on the river, including the wine trade thanks to the newly born viticulture that would later make the fame of Portets.

1587 : Guillaume de Gascq took the lead of the castle. His family, the Gascq barony, rule the lordship for two centuries.

31 Juillet 1808 : Napoleon 1, back from Spain, visited Chateau de Portets before his glorious arrival in Bordeaux. A bronze plate in the main courtyard of the Chateau still commemorates his visit.

1956 : Jules Theron, agronomy engineer and president of the General Council of Oran (Algeria) purchased the property. With the help of his son, he dedicated a lot of time and energy to the renewal of the Chateau which had not been refurbished since the WW2.

Until the 16th century : Chateau de Portets was a fortified castle governed by the Gascq barony.

1781 : The last heir of the Gascq family died, and sold his property to Valdec de Lessart. In 1785, Valdec de Lessart sold the estate to the Seguineau de Lognac family which remained owner of the Chateau until the end of the 19th century.

1939-1945 : During WW2, Chateau de Portets was occupied by the Germans troops. At the end of the war, the place was abandoned and in decay.

Today : Marie-Hélène Yung-Théron, the grand-daughter of Jules Theron, works hard to promote the castle, the most important building in Portets, and its vineyards, wines and history. Married to Rodolphe YUNG in 1998, they have two children, Charles and Paul. So far, Château de Portets remains a family property, with 3 generations living under the same roof. The family’s life is punctuated by the vineyard work, so much so that Charles decided to study agricultural engineering at the ESA school in Angers. Paul, on the other hand, prefers looking towards new horizons and has chosen a business school in Lille. Marie-Hélène has always encouraged her sons to follow their own path, and if that path leads them back to Portets one day, it will be a great opportunity for her to pass on her passion to them. Rodolphe, her husband, through his work as a chartered accountant and also as a winegrower, works every day on the family estate “Les Hauts de Palette”, producing wine but also providing valuable assistance in the commercial management of Portets wines. In a nutshell, an ongoing family story !