Château Chesnel

Château Chesnel is a historic estate and wine-producing brand located in Cherves-Richemont, in the Charente department of France. The château itself was built between 1610 and 1625 by Charles-Roch Chesnel, on the heights of the Antenne river. The property remained in the Chesnel family until 1754, when it passed through inheritance to the Frétard family and later, through marriages in the 19th century, to the counts of Roffignac. In 1923, Comte Ferdinand de Roffignac founded the wine company that still operates under the Château Chesnel name, and the estate has been passed down through generations of the Roffignac family. The brand is primarily known for its Cognac and wine production, benefiting from the estate's location in the Cognac appellation. The château is also a listed Monument Historique, open to visitors from mid-June to mid-September. The official website, roffignac.com, is currently under construction, but the brand maintains a presence through its historical and architectural heritage.

The seigneurie of Cherves depended on Cognac, and the lands of Cherves were purchased by Jacques Chesnel, governor of Cognac, between 1530 and 1535. The Chesnel family originally lived in Saintonge in the 16th century. Charles de Chesnel inherited his mother's properties, which brought him to Cherves. Between 1610 and 1625, he built the current château in an Italian style, surrounded by dry moats, near Plumejeau, on the domaine de la Roche where a dovecote dated 1505 already stood. Upon the death of the last Chesnel in 1754, the family assets were divided between his two sisters. The last sister died in 1780 without surviving offspring, and the château passed to a first cousin, son of Marie-Élisabeth Chesnel, who had married Jean Frétard d'Écoyeux around 1716. Through several alliances in the 19th century, the property was transmitted to the counts of Roffignac. René-Annibal de Roffignac is famous for having offered his head in place of Louis XVI's. In 1800, one of his sons, Louis Philippe Joseph de Roffignac, was sent to Louisiana where he served as mayor of New Orleans. Comte Ferdinand de Roffignac headed the wine-growing estate of Château Chesnel and founded his company in 1923; his son Jean and then his grandson Renaud succeeded him. The château is a listed Monument Historique and has remained intact since its construction in the early 17th century. It is open for visits from June 15 to September 15 or by appointment.

• 1923

  Comte Ferdinand de Roffignac founds the wine company at Château Chesnel.

• 1780

  Death of the last sister without surviving offspring; château passes to a cousin.

• 1754

  Death of the last Chesnel; property divided between his two sisters.

• 1610

  Construction of the current Château Chesnel begins by Charles de Chesnel.

• 1530

  Jacques Chesnel, governor of Cognac, purchases the lands of Cherves.

Historic estate and family-run wine brand in the Cognac region.

• Cognac

  Cognac produced from the estate's vineyards in the Cognac appellation.

• Wine

  Wines produced by the Roffignac family estate.

1. 1Site en constructionroffignac.com
2. 2Château Chesnelwikidata.org
3. 3Château Chesnelfr.wikipedia.org