In spring 2026, three steel arches took their place on the Côte des Monts Damnés.
They look out over the vines, the cellar and Sancerre in the distance — exactly as the Bourgeois Family has done since 1696.
The Bourgeois Family calls them Les Veillants.
330 years of vine in Sancerre — a history that deserves a monument
Since 1696, a member of the Bourgeois Family has been growing vines in Sancerre and making wine. Since then, ten generations have followed one another on the same hillsides, in the same light, with the same Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir planted in soils that each generation has learned to know better.
To mark 330 years of vine and wine of the Bourgeois Family in Sancerre, Arnaud, Lionel and Jean-Christophe Bourgeois chose to pay a permanent tribute to their vineyard and the hands that shaped it.
A work that will still be there in ten years, in fifty years — and that they will pass on in their turn.
Why the Côte des Monts Damnés?
The Côte des Monts Damnés stands as the heart of the estate — a legendary plot whose name says everything about its character: a slope of nearly 35%, cultivated since the 11th century for the unique quality of its Kimmeridgian marl soils, fully south-facing.
From here, you can see everything. Sancerre in the distance. Chavignol below. The estate’s gravity-fed cellar. And vines as far as the eye can reach.
This is exactly where Les Veillants belonged.
Three arches, three terroirs
Les Veillants are three steel arches anchored in the vineyard. Their forms are inspired by the ogival windows of the village church in Chavignol, two hundred metres away.
Three arches that embody the dialogue between generations: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Three arches, too, that salute the three terroirs of Sancerre — flint, Kimmeridgian marl and calcareous clay — which give this vineyard its singular character.
Their patina will evolve with the seasons, the rains and the sunshine of the Sancerre region.
On the plaque of Les Veillants, one can read:
“This work pays tribute to past generations, to Henri, to Rémi, to Jean-Marie, and binds yesterday, today and tomorrow in the Côte des Monts Damnés, the heart of the estate.”
Henri Bourgeois settled in Chavignol in 1934, newly married to his wife Solange. He patiently built the estate’s reputation through hard work, vintage after vintage, client by client, with an unwavering belief in the truth of the terroirs — at a time when the Sancerre appellation had not yet become what it is today.
Rémi Bourgeois durably transformed the way the wines and the vineyard were approached — deepening the understanding of the vines and their terroirs, and raising the quality standard to a level that remains the benchmark of the estate today.
Jean-Marie Bourgeois opened the estate to the world and helped put Sancerre on the wine lists of the finest restaurants. He shared his mission with the next generation: to make the finest wine possible, with precise knowledge of every vine and every terroir.
Come and discover Les Veillants
Les Veillants are visible from several paths along the Côte des Monts Damnés and from the estate. They are part of the Chavignol landscape that visitors to the estate discover throughout the year.
Domaine Henri Bourgeois is open every day from 10am to 6pm in Chavignol.
Please drink responsibly.
