A History
The origin of the name La Solitude must be sought in the rule of the community of the Holy Family. “They (the sisters) pray through a life hidden in God in the silence of solitude for His glory and the salvation of the world.”
Alain Labatut
The chiaroscuro of the archives does not allow for a clear determination of the origin of the Domaine de La Solitude. Nor is it possible to precisely date the beginning of its viticultural vocation, although it is reasonable to believe that it coincides with the very ancient emergence of the vineyard in the northern part of the Graves.
The only tangible historical anchor lies in the presence, at the edge of the operational buildings, of a classical style house, named ‘l’Ermitage’, which is known to have been a hunting lodge of Montesquieu.
In reality, it is only from the 19th century and the establishment of the Holy Family community at La Solitude that we have an explicit historiography of the Domain…
The Origins of a Land of Communion
In founding the Association of the Holy Family in 1820, the Bordeaux priest Pierre Bienvenu Noailles was inspired by the model of the early Christian communities, which brought together men and women of all conditions, to design an assembly of Christians – laypeople, religious, priests – offering the world the witness of unity of a vast evangelical community, respecting the diversity of vocations and commitments. Under the high patronage of the Holy Family, which constitutes the spiritual reference and source of inspiration for its founder, the Association thus includes apostolic sisters, contemplative sisters, members of the Secular Institute, laypeople, and associated priests.
The contract that binds the community of the Holy Family to the land of Graves dates back to 1831. The first disciples of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles – three women, including his own sister – then settled in l’Ermitage and divided their time between fieldwork and managing an orphanage.
The Emergence of the Vineyard
Competing with the subsistence crops with which it coexisted, and buffeted by the succession of crises and wars that marked the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the vineyard of La Solitude long hesitated to show its true potential.
During the favorable wave of the 1970s, the Association for Missionary Encouragement (ACEM), which maintains the continuity of the commercial society managing the vineyard, established as early as 1854 by Father Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, decided, in agreement with the sisters, to entrust its administration to external parties.
This decision would bear fruit, and the image of the La Solitude vineyard gradually became part of the ensemble of northern Graves production. In the 1980s, its signature undeniably improved, and it began producing wines of honorable quality.
The Revelation of a Great Wine
In 1993, a few months after being approached by the sisters of the Holy Family, Domaine de Chevalier, managed by Olivier Bernard since 1983, agrees to lease the La Solitude vineyard for a period of 40 years.
« The contact with the sisters had been very positive. Beyond the promising qualities of the terroir, I was sensitive to the spiritual dimension that permeated the whole place. We sealed something that was more than a contract, a commitment on my part that contained a notion of duty…Today, I can say that I am deeply attached to this property.
The duration of the lease, as we had wished, opened up long-term prospects. We were thus able to do real foundational work, without concern for immediate profitability, betting on the future…