CMA (Carmen Maurice Architecture) has rehabilitated a mill in Sarzeau, Morbihan, building a modern, circular winery open to the public to revitalize the area.
Since 2020, Carmen Maurice's office, based in Vannes, Brittany, has been working on public and private projects, mainly in the Greater West of France. Thinking, building and staying are the watchwords of this architect, who designs her practice by collaborating with local authorities, individuals, companies and developers. In 2024, her design team completed the construction of a wine cellar in the Rhuys vineyards for a gustatory and sensual renaissance. This project confirms the determination of the municipality and the Parc Naturel Régional du Golfe du Morbihan to relaunch wine production, interrupted for 70 years in Sarzeau, a small town of 9,000 inhabitants and historic vineyard, located on the Rhuys peninsula.
The aim is also to restore the Moulin de Poulhors, run by winegrowers Guillaume Hagnier and Marie Devigne. Over the past four years, this winegrowing couple have planted 25,000 vines, cultivating three grape varieties: chardonnay, chenin and cabernet franc.
RESPECTING OUR 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 puts it. " This material has made it possible to build living walls that express their terroir and whose appearance varies with time and light, just like wine ," she explains. " Its skin is made of a unique coating, composed of local sands, and recalls the proximity of the ocean. "
The architect has drawn on a "universal viticultural imagination" to create an architectural language. She succeeds in subtly celebrating the revival of this region, transforming the winery into a place for sharing, tasting and museography. " To the east, a built enclosure blends modestly into the landscape, housing the work of the winemakers. To the west, the cellar walls open generously onto the landscape, offering an unobstructed view of the two neighboring mills ," she continues.
In this haven of silence and ripening, everything bears witness to the evolution of winemaking practices, the harmony of the terroir and the history of Sarzeau's vineyards. " The first harvest took place in 2022. Nearly 6,500 bottles were produced with the Dantelezh label, which means "lace" in Breton. Or 'delicacy' in architecture. "
CARMEN-M.FR
