Six Centuries of Love
1419
The Heart Begins to Beat!
It was in 1419 that Arnauton Guilhem of Vignau, New Baron of Trubessé, discovered Cabidos and immediately fell in love with its beauty. From these magnificent south-facing slopes, unfolds the magical splendor of the Pyrenees. He was able to transform what was previously a modest looking house into what is today known as The Chateau de Cabidos, and where later, he engraved his arms “A magnificent golden eagle holding in its beak an arrow with silver fletching, the arrowhead pointed high, and standing boldly on the blade of a sword, hilt facing. Crowned by a baronial stamp: a terrifying knight’s helmet with its visor facing head on; the whole supported on either side by two imposing griffons.” The rich and well-drained soil allowed him to grow vines that were turned into white wine of quality, greatly appreciated in the court of Henry V, King of England and Duke of Aquitaine.
1554
A Valiant Heart!
In 1554, the title of Baron de Trubessé was passed to Jacques. He then completed considerable renovations in which he only kept two turrets from the original structure and added a main area more suitable for the lifestyle of a noble family. It is to him that we owe the creation of sweet white wine on the lands of Cabidos. His subjects, in recognition of his great kindness, gave him the nickname of “the good one”. The generations that later followed were divided between working in the vineyards, on the land, in the service of the king, and in the church. They then built the wine cellar to preserve the produce of the vines of Cabidos.
1793
A Heart and Blood!
In 1793, during the terrible Revolution, the Château de Cabidos was pillaged and set on fire by a band of revolutionaries from the plains of Béarn. The Baroness of Cabidos saved the life of her family and the rest of the estate by directing the ‘sans-culottes’ to the cellars where their rage dissipated by drinking all the wine produced in the castle. The torment passed, and the descendants of the family worked to gradually rebuild the castle and its estate, particularly the garden which was built in its present form as well as the Chapel of the Virgin of the Apocalypse inside the castle tower.
1972
In the Heart of the Vineyard!
It was in 1972 that Isabelle, great-granddaughter of Marie-Catherine de Trubessé decided with her husband Count Philippe du Cauzé de Nazelle, to move to this magical place where she had formerly spent most of her childhood vacations. It took them twenty years to restore the castle and its surroundings and to replant twenty-one acres of vines on the hillside with the local variety, Petit Manseng. Since the first bottling in 1995, nine hectares of vines have been replanted.
In 2002, an air-conditioned winery was built and in 2007, Mrs. Méo Sakorn-Series, became the Maître de Chai and Technical Director. In 2017 Meo was named Knight of The National Order of Merit in recognition of her work and her connoisseur’s knowledge of wine.
2015
The Heart at Work!
It is in 2015 that the Alday family discovered Château de Cabidos. The beautiful and harmonious residence and its walled garden with century-old walls, classified as a historical monument, stands at the end of a long driveway lined with Tuscan-style cypresses.
Passionate about history and a lover of wine, Robert Alday fell for the charm of the castle and its vineyards. The Petit-Manseng grape in its historical terroir, the know-how of the team in place, and the search for excellence, made him want to continue the work which had started six centuries ago in accordance with the motto of Arnauton Guilhem du Vignau “I set forth”.
2018
In Recognition of The Heart!
At the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards, considered the most influential wine competition in the world, L’Or de Cabidos 2011, an exceptionally intense sweet white wine, earned the Gold Medal with a score of 96/100.
Decanter 2018
- Gold medal: L’Or de Cabidos 2011 (96 points)
- Silver medal: Gaston Phœbus Doux 2014 (91 points)
- Bronze medal: Les Anesses Doux 2013 (88 points)
Vignerons indépendants 2018
- Gold medal: Gaston Phoebus 2014
In the International Wine Challenge competition, one of the major international competitions where each year nearly 14,000 wines are presented, Cabidos was also honored with a silver medal and 92 points for its Gaston Phœbus Sec 2014.
These awards, recognizing the know-how and the hard work which has been accomplished, are stepping stones towards the excellence sought by the Alday family for the white wines, both dry and sweet, from the Petit-Manseng grape variety and for the red wine, which is one of France’s most westerly examples of the Syrah grape.