The history

The history

The Razungles name is found in documents about Vingrau since the XVIIth Century.  Although it was at the beginning of the XXth, in 1912, when François Razungles obtained a gold medal at the Berry Culinary Competition for all his wines.  François had three sons, who returned from the war in 1919, and decided to increase their vineyard with the purchase of Domaine des Chênes.  This property, previously owned by a rich family of Rivesaltes, produced very small yields in comparison with those obtained in the Languedoc and Roussillon plains. During the first part of the XXth Century, les Vins Doux Naturels (Natural Sweet Wines) and aperitif wines were much appreciated by consumers and, like many other vine growers, the Razungles brothers chosed to produce wine in this style.
In 1985, Alain Razungles, great grandson of François, aware of the potential of these terroirs, decided to restore the old cellar.  He successfully persuaded his parents, Simone and Gilbert, and his uncle Joseph, to take the plunge.  Using the old materials that he found in the winery (a manual destemmer and an old wooden press), Alain vinified the best vines of the Domaine. The results were immediate and the first cuvees of Côtes du Roussillon Villages, Muscat and Rivesaltes Tuilé were quickly appreciated and classified Domaine des Chênes among the best references of Roussillon. Few years later, the white cuvee "Les Magdaleniens" elaborated with Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, aged in barrels, proved that elaborating white great wines in the south of France was not an utopia.