Set amid the rolling hills and lush vineyards of south-west France, the Château de Saint-Denis is serenely beautiful, the classical symmetry of its architecture softened by warm, creamy stone.
It has been the beloved home of the de Bastard family for generations, ever since they arrived here from Brittany 400 years ago.
Devoted to managing the region’s rich natural resources on behalf of the King rather than to waging war, they designed their château “not as a fortress, but as a place built for pleasure”, according to the current Baron, Arnaud de Bastard, who inherited it in 2016.
My ancestors can be traced back to the tenth century. My great-great-grandfather built the château in the 1850s’ And as he and his Baroness, Anne, welcome us with their children Alain, Sibylle…