Miren and Nicolas de Lorgeril's family have been making wine in Languedoc for 12 generations, their vintages finding favour with the royal residents of Versailles. So it’s perhaps fitting that the dynasty’s home, Châteaude Pennautier, evokes that iconic palace. The similarity is no coincidence. It was Nicolas's ancestor Bernard Reich de Pennautier, treasurer of the States of Languedoc, who built the château back in 1620, and just two years later – on 14 July 1622 – hosted Louis XIII when he visited southern France.

We can be sure that Bernard’s home made a good impression on the young King, because he left as a gift his personal four-poster bed and chairs. Soon afterwards, His Majesty commanded work to begin on a new wonder of the world, the Palace of Versailles. This magnificent project

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