Château d’Arsac: The Ségur Era
Joseph and Catherine had four children, the most significant of whom was Henry de Ségur (1710 – 1739), Baron d’Arsac and président à mortier of the Bordeaux parliament, and he inherited the seigneurie. In 1738 Henry married Jeanne Léonarde Sabourin (died 1740), although they appear to have been childless, as with their deaths the titles passed to the second son born to Joseph and Catherine, this being Joseph de Ségur (1711 – 1790), Comte de Ségur-Cabanac, who in 1741 had married Jeanne-Henriette Le Maistre (died 1780).
Exactly when viticulture began on the estate is not certain, but it seems likely that it was during this era, although the land use would have been varied, with a mix of vines, managed woodland and grazing pasture. There are no records of Joseph planting vines, but we know that he planted large areas to pine trees. There was already a château on the property, possibly built by one of the Ségur family. We know this because in 1767 it underwent a renovation by Richard-François Bonfin (1730 – 1814), who also designed much of the city of Bordeaux. As for the estate itself, little changed, although a small slice of land to the east was sold in 1749, the beginning of the modern-day Château Monbrison.
Joseph and Jeanne-Henriette had two sons, Joseph and Gabriel, and it was Gabriel Henri Arsac de Ségur (died 1819) who inherited the property. We can be certain that by this time there was viticulture on the estate, as records indicate that there was a vineyard covering 28 hectares. Sadly the property including its vineyard was seized as a bien national during the Revolution, but it was bought back by Henry de Ségur, presumably the next generation, who borrowed more than 287,000 livres (the French currency predating the franc) to do so. Unsurprisingly the ensuing years were difficult, and the Ségur family were forced to sell off some of their land in order to service this debt. The sole heir, Catherine-Louise de Ségur, married into the Bournac family, and again it is perhaps no surprise that there were quick to sell this millstone they found around their necks.
It was thus acquired in 1817 by Joseph-Jean Esnou de Saint-Céran (1787 – 1849), who bought it for 20,000 francs, bringing the Ségur era to and end.
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