Château de Monterminod, Medieval castle in Saint-Alban-Leysse, France

Château de Monterminod is a stone castle standing on a hill overlooking vineyards, with defensive walls and a central tower built upon ancient Burgundian fortifications. The estate manages around 9 hectares of vineyards producing roughly 150 hectoliters of wine each year.

The first written record of the estate is a charter signed by Humbert aux Blanches Mains between 1014 and 1042, by which the knight Aymon de Pierre Forte donated the vineyard called Mont Erminod to the Abbey of Cluny. From the 13th to the 15th centuries the castle belonged to the Crochet family, a noble line linked to the Harveys. It changed hands repeatedly between the 15th and 20th centuries until 1955, when the wine merchant Joseph Girard bought it; his family still owns it.

The vineyard here produces Roussette de Monterminod wine made from Altesse grapes, a local variety grown on steep slopes that requires all harvesting to be done by hand. This traditional method shapes how people work the land throughout the year.

The castle sits on a hilltop surrounded by steep vineyards, so expect uneven ground and demanding paths as you explore. The best time to visit is during harvest season in autumn, when you can see activity throughout the vineyard.

The name Monterminod comes from "Mont Erminod", the vineyard named in a charter signed by Humbert aux Blanches Mains between 1014 and 1042, when the knight Aymon de Pierre Forte donated it to the Abbey of Cluny. The château later served as a relay in a signal chain: Chambéry's main tower alerted it, and it passed the message on toward the Maurienne valley.