Château de Tracy

Loire ValleyFrance
Château de Tracy

Photography and writing by Ted Vance.

Full Length Story

Château de Tracy’s history extends to the truly ancient; there’s written evidence of vines tended here as early as the 14th century, although in the centuries that followed, it seems to have petered out. And though its ownership has remained within the hands of two noble families, Château de Tracy’s modern-day revival was, considering the estate’s lengthy history, actually recent. The renaissance came in the early 1950s with the estate under the direction of Comte Alain d’Estutt d’Assay and his spouse, Jacqueline de Tracy. Thus, it could be said that this is when the modern chapter, the true viticultural chapter in Château de Tracy’s history, really begins. Both sides of this union brought their own unique histories to Château de Tracy; there are no princes or popes, but their stories are no less remarkable. On one side there is family history that stretches back, unbroken, to barons living in Laggan, in the Scottish Highlands, in the 14th century. On the other, there is a family tree that flirts with celebrity, with peripheral appearances from the Marquis de Lafayette, the celebrated French aristocrat and military officer, and the most famous physicist of all, Sir Isaac Newton. Today, this historic, organically operated château is run by a collective group of experienced wine professionals who channel their ideas through a local winemaker who has been at the helm for decades in pursuit of the highest quality and classically styled Sauvignon Blanc grown on Kimmeridgian marl, silex and deep clay soils.