THE CHÂTEAU DE NALYS
Four centuries of history in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This property is one of the oldest in the appellation and was listed in the land register at the end of the 16th Century. The Château de Nalys was named after its first occupant, Jacques Nalis who was a farmer for the archdiocese of Avignon. In 1633, he was put in charge of a farm building and the surrounding land and vineyards and this is where the current domain originated. The Nalis family produced wine here and remained in charge of the domain until the French Revolution.
Afterwards, the domain was sold to a local family from Châteauneuf-du-Pape who kept hold of it for seven generations. Dr Philippe Dufays was one of the last and certainly the most renown of the family members. He came to the region during the Second World War and married into the family. The ‘Doctor,’ as he was known, was passionate about the property and put all of his resources and energies into it. Over a period of nearly twenty years he worked on the property, doubling its acreage and developing sales in numerous markets overseas. In 1975, his son was killed in an accident and Dufays decided to leave Nalys. It was sold to the insurance company Groupama.
In 2017, charmed by the exceptional ‘terroirs’ and its prestigious past, the Guigal family bought the Château de Nalys.
