The CMA (Carmen Maurice Architecture) office has rehabilitated a mill in Sarzeau, in Morbihan, by building a modern, circular wine cellar open to the public to revitalize the territory.

Since 2020, Carmen Maurice's firm, based in Vannes, Brittany, has been working on public and private projects, primarily located in Western France. Thinking, building, and inhabiting are the guiding principles of this architect, who designs her practice by collaborating with local authorities, individuals, businesses, and developers. In 2024, her design team completed the construction of a winery in the Rhuys vineyard, ushering in a new era of taste and sensory experience. This project confirms the commitment of the municipality and the Gulf of Morbihan Regional Natural Park to revive wine production, which had been discontinued for 70 years in Sarzeau, a small town of 9,000 inhabitants and a historic wine region, situated on the Rhuys peninsula.

The aim is also to rehabilitate the Poulhors mill, run by winemakers Guillaume Hagnier and Marie Devigne. In four years, this winegrowing couple planted 25,000 vines, cultivating three grape varieties: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Cabernet Franc.

WITH RESPECT FOR THE HERITAGE

The winery, covered in lime plaster by a local craftsman, wraps around the mill to optimize the winemaking process, giving it an almost "mystical" aspect, as Carmen Maurice describes it. " This material allowed us to create living walls, which express their terroir and whose appearance varies with the weather and light, just like the wine, " she explains. " Its skin is made of a unique plaster, composed of local sands, and evokes the proximity of the ocean. "

The architect drew inspiration from a "universal wine-growing imagination" to create an architectural language. She subtly celebrates the region's revival, transforming the winery into a place for sharing, tasting, and museum display. " To the east, a built enclosure blends modestly into the landscape, sheltering the winemakers' work. To the west, the winery walls open generously onto the landscape, offering an unobstructed view of the two neighboring mills ," she continues.

In this haven of silence and maturation, everything bears witness to the evolution of winemaking practices, the harmony of the terroir, and the history of the vines in Sarzeau. The first harvest took place in 2022. It yielded nearly 6,500 bottles labeled Dantelezh, “lace” in Breton. Or “delicacy” in architecture. »

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