Château de La Treyne

Château de La Treyne
Your passport for a voyage through time …
… to discover one of the most beautiful Chateaux on the banks of the Dordogne
46200 LACAVE
FRANCE
Tel: + 33 (0) 5 65 27 60 60
Fax: + 33 (0) 5 65 27 60 70
Email: [email protected]
www.chateaudelatreyne.com
Stéphanie GOMBERT
Tel: + 33 (0) 5 65 27 60 60 mobile: + 33 (0) 6 62 52 67 64
Email: [email protected]
1. A chateau steeped in history
page 3-5
2. Beauty, serenity and sensual pleasure
page 6-7
3. Inspired cuisine by a Chef devoted to the local terroir
page 8-9
4. Quercy: a new surprise every step of the way
page 10
5. Price List
page 11
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A Chateau steeped in History
Set like a jewel on top of the cliffs, Château de la Treyne enjoys the privilege of the most
beautiful surroundings. Indeed, it is majestically mirrored in the languid waters of the Dordogne,
which reflect the image of a castle standing noble and proud. La Treyne looks like a castle that
has escaped from a fairy tale.
It was on the famous bridge of Avignon, on January 27th 1356, that Guillaume de Roffilhac –
“head bare, kneeling and hands clasped” – swore homage to Guillaume de Beaufort, Viscount of
Turenne, for the “castle built in the place known as la Treyne, on the banks of the Dordogne”.
So, it was in the 14th century that this noble construction, the cardinal element of the Seigneurie
de la Treyne, was built.
It remained in the hands of the Roffilhac family until 1426, when it was given, “with all justice,
haute, moyenne et basse” to the knight, Annet du Cluzel, by the Viscount de Turenne.
In 1553, Louis de Cluzel was appointed Seigneur de La Treyne. He was assassinated in 1592
and the keys of the Chateau were passed on to Jean de La Ramière.
It is known that his father was a brother in arms of Henri of Navarre, forging an undying
friendship with the future king, Henri IV. Unfortunately, during the Religious Wars, La Treyne
was considered to be a lair of the Huguenots and it was burned down in 1622.
After these exactions committed in the name of the Lord, the La Ramière family worked
ceaselessly to rehabilitate the castle. Under the reign of Louis XIII, La Treyne recovered its
former pride and glory.
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The old, mediaeval keep was reduced and the main building was flanked by a magnificent
round tower. The building gave up a little of its defensive character in favour of a more elegant
architectural style.
In 1643, Gédéon I, Seigneur de la Treyne, swore homage to the Viscount de Turenne. His son,
Gédéon II, embraced the Catholic faith, bringing an end two centuries of Protestant resistance in
his stronghold.
On the death of his son, it was his sister, Marie de La Ramière, who inherited La Treyne. She
married Jean III de Cardaillac, a captain of artillery. Their son, François-Emmanuel, went on to
become lord of the manor and entered holy matrimony on January 28 th 1748, marrying Jeanne de
Montalembert.
Thus the house of La Ramière, considered to one of the oldest and most noble knighthoods,
would have conserved La Treyne, like the Cluzel family before them, if the feudal domain could
be passed on to women!
Meanwhile, the Viscount de Turenne lost his privileges and the
title was attached to the kingdom of France. Thus, by letters
patent of the king dated December 29th 1759, FrançoisEmmanuel was granted the barony and marquisate of Cardaillac
in Quercy. His son, Joseph, inherited and held La Treyne until
the upheaval of the French Revolution.
In the 19th century, the Chateau remained in the hands of the
Cardaillac family until Joseph’s great-grandson, the Marquis
Jean-Jacques-Joseph-Frédéric, decided to sell the La Treyne
estate.
In the sale of the estate in 1905, a special clause retained the
right of the Marquis de Cardaillac to “twenty-five pounds of
market truffles from the harvest of the current agricultural year,
which he will take at his convenience between December 15th
and January 15th next year”.
The great grand-children of the Marquis de Cardaillac, who now live in Canada, regularly
return to la Treyne, encouraging their children to love the land of their ancestors.
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In 1910, the industrialist Auguste-Gabriel Savard,
inventor of Bijou Fix, became theowner of La Treyne.
He immediately undertook major rehabilitation work,
making the Chateau more comfortable. Above all, he set
out the French formal garden in front of the Chateau.
From that time, the Chateau regained its former
splendour.
In the inter-war period, the property changed hands once
again. The new owners, the Fontana family, tirelessly
continued the renovation work started by their
predecessor.
During the war, La Treyne even became a branch of the
Louvre museum. The writer, André Chamson, housed
many treasures from the Egyptian Antiquities department
there, to protect them from the covetous eyes of the
occupying forces. Among these treasures was the famous statue of the “squatting scribe”, which
has given its name to one of the hotel rooms.
His daughter, Frédérique Hébrard, recounted this epic tale in one of her novels, “La Chambre
de Goethe”. In recognition of his stay at La Treyne, this man of arts, a friend of André Malraux,
had the Chateau added to the inventory of listed sites. In 1954, two other art lovers purchased the
castle, enriching it with further restoration work and then, in 1982, the Gombert family, from
Aveyron, took over La Treyne.
Michèle Gombert started welcoming her guests there in the same manner as she would receive
her friends. In 1992, after 10 years of extensive work, La Treyne, now a four-star hotel, joined
the prestigious Relais & Châteaux collection.
After being the muse and the very soul of the house, Michèle Gombert handed over the reins to
her children.
Today, Philippe and Stéphanie Gombert work painstakingly every day to ensure the Chateau
remains faithful to the spirit of its founders: a house deeply marked by history, resolutely
hospitable, welcoming and always splendid, like a sparkling diamond reflected endlessly in the
lascivious Dordogne…
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Beauty, serenity and sensual pleasure
Converted into a luxury hotel, Chateau de La Treyne offers the peace and quiet desired by
travellers in search of nature and authenticity.
Admirably situated, half-way between Sarlat and Rocamadour, on the pilgrim trail to Santiago
de Compostela and in the Dordogne Valley, La Treyne is the ideal place for Epicureans seeking
a combination of rest for the spirit and tasteful gastronomy.
La Treyne has no reason to be envious of the Chateaux of the Loire. Starting with its
surroundings and its huge park of mature trees, with two magnificent cedars of Lebanon standing
as sentries. Then, at the foot of the hill runs a dense forest of more than 120 hectares, including
an impressive boxwood forest covering 5 hectares and not forgetting hundreds of truffle oaks.
Tucked away close to the Chateau, a Romanesque chapel, with its ancient capitals from deepest
Spain, emphasises the eminently romantic nature of La Treyne. The most romantic weddings can
be held here by reserving the complete facilities of la Treyne.
And, who could fail to be delighted with the charm of its French formal garden, dotted with
Medici vases leading to a sumptuous rose garden? At the crossing of the avenues, an elegant
basin provides delicious freshness that complements the huge natural balcony overlooking the
Dordogne. A tennis court and a perimeter overflow swimming pool complete La Treyne’s
attractions.
As for the Chateau, its finest jewel must surely be its grand Louis XIII salon, with its caisson
ceiling, d’Aubusson tapestries and its huge fireplace featuring panelling with a delightful patina.
Regularly, candle-lit dinners with guests in period costume are organised in order to re-live La
Treyne’s glorious past.
Near the fireplace in the Fragonard salon, the chateau’s guests will enjoy the pleasure of
savouring one of the many different liqueurs and eaux-de-vie that haunt the liquor cabinet, with a
fine book on the region.
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Fourteen rooms and two apartments, all fully air-conditioned, are part of the invitation to enjoy
the real life of the chateau. Period furniture, refined and weighty wall hangings, extremely
comfortable beds and meticulous decoration ensure that your nights are as beautiful as your days.
In addition, each room has its own bathroom with all the latest comforts.
Depending on your mood, you can opt for the Rising Sun bedroom, bathed in sunlight from
dawn, with its French window opening onto the garden.
Very much in the spirit of the place, the Louis XIII bedroom, featuring a four post bed and
Versailles parquet flooring, ensures that visitors feel the are worthy heirs of La Treyne.
The Fénelon bedroom, named after the famous prelate from neighbouring Périgord, will delight
you with its tartan hangings in raspberry tones.
The Turenne bedroom is equally charming, with its toile de Jouy theme and crown bed.
The Cardinale bedroom, located at the top of the 14th century square tower, offers a magnificent
view over the French formal garden and the Dordogne.
What a delight to have a sun-kissed breakfast of croissants, home-made jam and freshly
squeezed fruit juice on the private terrace overlooking the Dordogne, in the apartment that bears
the same name.
Finally, classic style is the watchword in the Empire bedroom, while modernism is the theme of
la Tour. All these different decorative themes and tones are designed to take visitors to different
periods of La Treyne, but always with the same high level of comfort.
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Inspired cuisine by a Chef devoted to the local terroir
For the past forteen years, Stéphane Andrieux has devoted his culinary know-how exclusively to
Château de La Treyne. This native of Nontron, in Périgord, started his training in the Angoulême
hotel school before going on to win his spurs in the brigades of the great Chefs of French cuisine.
First, Marc Meneau in Burgundy and Pic in Valence, but it was at the Lion d’Or, in
Romorantin, that he found his veritable master in Didier Clément.
Then the student became a disciple to such an extent that he earned his “freedom” several years
later. When, in 1998, he received the offer of taking over the kitchens of La Treyne, the lure of
the savours of the region proved impossible to ignore.
His cuisine, which integrates the fundamentals passed down from gourmet Périgord and
Quercy, is no less inventive for that and is undeniably attractive. “I adore revisiting terroir-based
cuisine, working with foie gras, Quercy lamb or pot au feu. I like dishes that stimulate the taste
buds and play on acidity and bitterness”, confesses the Chef, a native of Lot.
Very rapidly, he earned gastronomic recognition. Stéphane Andrieux was awarded his first
Michelin star in 2001.
Since then, his Dublin bay prawn (langoustine) risotto in shellfish sauce has become a classic,
as has his Mallemort asparagus salad and his potage topped with truffle-flavoured egg-nog
meringue. His range of duck foie gras, whether mi-cuit, bonbon coulant, uncooked and
marinated in salt or between two spicy crusts, is a pure delight. Now, blue lobster, red mullet and
sturgeon make their way up the Dordogne, just to feature on the Chef’s menu!
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As for meat dishes, the lamb chops are the greatest homage to lamb from the Quercy causses
country, as is the Aubrac farm-raised beef or the Corrèze milk-raised veal. Squabs and wild duck
also receive the same culinary treatment, to the great delight of gourmets.
Dessert lovers will appreciate the lemon Savoy
biscuit, unless they plump for the Caribbean
chocolate or the tonneau glacé with walnuts…
And what about these “Pomponnettes”, a sort of
baba sprinkled with plum brandy, or his macaroon
with Quercy walnuts? Stéphane Andrieux’s
cuisine can be summed up in a single credo:
jubilatory excitement of the taste-buds with every
dish.
Finally, as everyone knows, beneath every castle
there are beautiful vaulted cellars. And sleeping in
the heart of the La Treyne cellars are the finest
Cahors, Bergerac, Bordeaux and Burgundy wines,
which superbly accompany your chosen dishes.
Finally, we should not forget that we are at the gateway to Souillac, famed for its Vieille Prune,
epitomised by the venerable Louis Roque distillery.
And where better than the terrace of La Treyne, overlooking the Dordogne, to enjoy it in the
sunset or under a star-studded sky, thinking about all those people, like the Gombert family, who
have made La Treyne a place apart from passing time, where the stone, still warm from the sun,
exhales a perfume of Eternity…
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Quercy: a new surprise every step of the way:
Château de la Treyne is located in the North of the Department of LOT, in Midi-Pyrénées
Region, 170 km North of Toulouse and 180 km East of Bordeaux.
Rich in architectural heritage, just like the Dordogne, Quercy is home to small mountain
citadels, abbeys and churches with charms polished by the centuries, as well as many, fantastic
villages perched on the cliffs (Rocamadour, la Roque Gageac, St Cirq Lapopie, etc. ..), while
proud castles stand guard over the valley.
It is also a land of cave systems (Lascaux, Pech Merle, Font de Gaume, etc.) and caverns
(Padirac).
The temperate climate, with generous sunshine, is propitious for the harmonious flourishing of
nature.
The different landscapes are splendid: rich forests alternating with the limestone plateau of the
causses, and the winding rivers mean you can travel through the region by canoe, to admire the
beautiful surroundings.
For more energetic sports enthusiasts, the dizzying caves and imposing cliffs make an ideal
playground to discover or practice speleology or rock-climbing.
Nature is generous here, offering delicious products: truffles, foie gras, cep mushrooms,
chestnuts and walnuts, and not forgetting the vineyards around Cahors, the Department’s
administrative capital.
A close neighbour of Quercy, Périgord Noir, which owes its name to the prevalent evergreen
oaks, is the region of Sarlat, a gem of a mediaeval town, where the rich cultural life matches the
beauty of its street lined with old town houses built from ochre-coloured stone.
Come and discover the picturesque markets in places like Domme, where local producers
propose their free-range poultry, home-made pâté and fruit and vegetables from their gardens.
And at the end of your stay, you will think of Henry Miller, who wrote in his “Colossus of
Maroussi”:
“I repeat, it was most important for me to have seen the Dordogne: it gives me hope for the
future of the race, for the future of the earth itself. France may one day exist no more, but the
Dordogne will live on just as dreams live on and nourish the souls of men.”
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