Vincent Lamour majestically revives Château Carqueiranne
Château Carqueiranne is a winery, a wonderful alliance of the love of the land and the sea.
Originally from Calvados, Vincent Lamour, a normalien and former agrégé professor, from a modest farming family, keeps his feet on the ground to successfully lead this vast entrepreneurial project around the rebirth of Château Carqueiranne. He answers questions from La Gazette du Var.
Why did you choose the South for your project? Vincent LAMOUR. I have been passionate about water sports since my childhood in Normandie.
For many years, I have been coming to the Var to practice sailing, Kite Surf, and funboard. With my wife, we bought a house in Carqueiranne. For four years, we have therefore been coming very regularly on vacation to the region.
All the conditions are met: warm sea, regular wind, sun. That is what attracted me. I particularly like l'Almanarre for its natural side.
Is this a real entrepreneurial project? VL. Indeed, I am an entrepreneur, a man of projects, I like ambitious projects.
Four years ago, I was lucky enough to sell my company which I had created 12 years earlier, I was 46 years old. This allowed me to initiate this new adventure, which is a real entrepreneurial project requiring, of course, a lot of investment at the start, but with a real desire to create sustainable employment.
Does this project have an agricultural side? VL. I come from the land, my father and grandfather were farmers.
I have always been around tractors, I grew up on a farm, and I try to pass on this "terroir" aspect to my three children. I was keen to create an agricultural project, a project linked to agriculture.
The idea was to acquire a vineyard. I came through sailing and I return to the land because I am the son of farmers. I also like Carqueiranne for its alliance of land and sea.
This commune is agricultural while being by the sea.
After selling your company, did you bounce back? VL. Indeed, I had to find a new project.
In 2022, I started looking for a vineyard. I didn't want to be far from l'Almanarre. After many fruitless searches and visits, my wife discovered an advertisement for the sale of Château Carqueiranne.
Everything was gathered: the château, the commune of Carqueiranne, the vineyard, and all close to l'Almanarre. The project was completely crazy at the start because the château was a ruin, the vines were not maintained, the cellar was non-existent. We got the keys in March 2023.
Almost a year passed between the moment I met the former owners of the château and the keys being handed over. What an incredible adventure!
Is there a learning aspect to this acquisition? VL. I like to learn, and this project allows me to do so regarding the winemaking and vinification parts, among other things.
I am well surrounded with a very competent vineyard manager and soon a cellar master. I like to participate, to "get my hands dirty", what interests me is that there is a huge amount of things to learn.
A job-creating project? VL. Yes, the team is local and composed of 7 employees on the estate. This project generates employment, it is a real business that must cover costs, taxes, and employees' salaries from the revenues of wine sales and associated wine tourism events.
Is this project a long-term project? VL. Assuredly, it is a very long-term project in several stages.
A year of work for the exterior part is necessary. Regarding the interior layout of the château, the idea is to have personal rooms and also rooms reserved for people participating in corporate seminars around wine. We are on an agricultural estate, there is no question of creating a guest house or a hotel.
The Carqueiranne environment allows for various outdoor activities to be scheduled (walking in the terroir, mountain biking, sailing...) For a company, this sporting side helps to build cohesion, it is ideal.
Do you like this educational aspect? VL. Wine and the agricultural side allow people to gather, to bring people closer together.
By late 2025-2026, we will organize corporate seminars around wine and around nature and agriculture. Fruit trees (citrus), fig trees, and an olive grove will soon emerge from the ground. Our approach is also part of wine tourism, the estate is classified as Côte de Provence.
I like this educational side with wine: people like to understand the stages of wine production (vine pruning, winemaking, pressing, aging in barrels...) and discover the agricultural know-how of the Château. We plan to produce 50,000 bottles next year to be able to vinify two rosés, a white, and a red.
How did the Carqueirannais welcome this project? VL. The Carqueirannais are happy to see the château reborn and are delighted to rediscover the premises, to meet the château team.
There is truly a before and an after. We did not wait for the work to be completed to start creating wine tourism events. Moreover, every Thursday evening during the summer, we organize a "Jazz et Vignes" event, which also brings life to the château in the evening.