Domaine Long-Depaquit
Domaine Long-Depaquit
The French revolution hit Chablis at a time when a certain Jean Depaquy was the Abbot of Pontigny and his brother Simon Depaquy was public prosecutor. ln 1790, both of them retired from public life 'for their health' - a wise decision. Simon retired to Chablis and on 3 1st March 1791 at the sale of National assets confiscated by the new Revolutionary Assembly bought the vines of the Abbey which included the famous 'Moutonne en Vaudesirs'. Simon's son, Benjamin, had no children, but adopted a nephew Francois Auguste Long, thus creating the new family name of Long-Depaquit.
ln 1927 Louis, son of Francois and blind since the age of 25 due to a car crash, sold the property that Simon Depaquy had built, a fine house on the outskirts of Chablis, and acquired the eighteenth century chateau situated on the Route d'Auxerre. This is today the Chateau Long-Depaquit with its 15,000 square metres, its park and its cellars.
Louis died without issue in 1967 at the age of 77. His legacy was a vignoble in excess of 10 hectares of the best crus in Chablis, and it was at this time that the Bichot family from Beaune who had moved into Chablis, took an interest in the domaine. It was not until 1970 that the acquisition was completed, and two years later with the arrival of Gérard Vullien as Régisseur, Bichot decided that the estate should be run completely autonomously. After which there started a long period of development, the estate growing to its present size of 62 hectares by 1987.
This development was rightly accompanied by improvements and new additions to the buildings including the restoration of the chateau in 1975 and the construction of a new chai in 1991. Vullien retired in 2002 and consequently attitudes changed at top level in the Bichot board room.
