Created in 1989 by the owner of a prestigious Cognac house, Domaine de Bonaguil is nestled between the Lot, Lot-et-Garonne and Dordogne departments. It sits on the heights of Château de Bonaguil which has inspired our wine label design.
The 26-hectare estate is perched at an altitude of 230 meters. Amid oak, pine and chestnut trees, our 9-hectare vineyard flourishes at the borders of the Bouriane polyculture region in the Lot department.
Neglected during several years, Nature has gradually reclaimed its rights over the property. Fortunately, in July 2017, Domaine de Bonaguil found new owners in the Czech native couple of Barbora and Daniel Donath, who immediately fell in love with the scenery. As a family project, they were keen together with their two daughters to fit into the local economic fabric and to blend perfectly within the vine culture and its distinct environment.
The vineyard, planted in 1989 at the wine estate debut and almost abandoned at the time, has undergone deep restructuring starting 2017. Gradually, the vines have steadily regained their superb always in tune with the surrounding nature.
Thus, upon the arrival of the Donath family and under the supervision of an experienced and nature-inspired Bordeaux wine consultant, Patrice Hateau, the vine training was restored. Then temporary sowing and shallow tillage resumed, followed by the replanting of missing vines. Permaculture and agroforestry practices soon appeared as obvious choices. These traditional methods of land management involve the simultaneous cultivation of various crops and trees in the same field, avoiding soil degradation. As a result, the vineyard has recovered its past vigour and thrives from this renewal.
The Donaths have given to Domaine de Bonaguil’s team a real sense of accomplishment by instilling respect for the wine property and its players. In the vineyard, both men and women take time to observe and adapt their gestures and practices to magnify the vine and the omnipresent nature. The skilled winegrowers of Bonaguil, their roots anchored in the vineyard, understand the fragile equilibrium required to preserve harmony and thus adopt the best techniques to maintain the balance of this lush green paradise.
