A history of over 400 years!

The noble house of Caman dates back to the 17th century, under the aegis of Jacques de Mélignan, Knight and Lord of Caman, and his wife, Marie-Louise de Filhot.

1670: drainage of the marshland by the Duke of Saint Simon and creation of small loading ports, « Le Passage » and « La Belle Etoile », to facilitate the transport of wine by river and sea.

In the 18th century, the estate was managed by the Knight and Lord of La Raz Caman, who gave his name to the growth we know today. After his death, the estate was run with some difficulty from Bordeaux. Given the poor condition of the roads in winter, visits were few and far between. The much more pleasant Bordeaux lifestyle led the estate to ruin. Caman was sold, a page was turned.

In 1857: one of our ancestors, a hard worker and skilled manager with an eye for a good opportunity, purchased Caman. At the time, the estate was in a state of almost total dilapidation.
After twenty years of effort, phylloxera struck the La Raz Caman vineyard. A significant part of the vineyard was destroyed, a fate shared by most other estates in the Bordeaux region. Only the river marsh plots on the banks of the Gironde, that were flooded every year, resisted the terrible disease.

The beginning of the 20th century was a buoyant period, with the construction of new cellars.
It was followed by the dark years of the war, with men in the trenches and women in the vineyards.

The estate came back to life at the beginning of the 1920s.

In 1946: the property was divided and half was given to the employees. Trials and tribulations led the new owners to sell part of the land and vineyards.

In 1973: the missing half was bought back and work was undertaken to restructure the vineyard.

o    Restoration of the fermentation cellar.
o    Reconstruction of the barrel cellars.
o    New layout of the packaging premises.
o    Replanting of part of the vineyard.
o    Classification of plots depending on terroir, grape variety, root stock, …
o    Development of sales.

Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, our ambition is twofold: to share our passion for crafting « La Raz Caman » wines and to enjoy the pleasure of tasting them with you.