The distillery
A vegetable garden in the heart of the castle
It all began for the Distillery in our 18th-century experimental vegetable garden, at the foot of the Château de La Roche-Guyon, a true heritage and agricultural gem. In 1730, Madeleine-Charlotte Le Tellier, Dowager Duchess of La Roche-Guyon and daughter of the Marquis de Louvois, undertook the restoration and embellishment of the château, the park, and most likely an existing vegetable garden.
Covering an area of 2.7 hectares, this “large garden” opposite the château reflects the importance attached to it. His son, Duke Alexandre, and then his daughter, the Duchess of Enville, continued this work with a strong ambition: to turn the vegetable garden into an experimental site designed to advance agriculture. At a time marked by famine, new crops such as potatoes were tested there.
The vegetable garden was organized—as it is today—into three complementary areas: an ornamental garden, an orchard, and vegetable crops.
Completely restored in the 2000s based on the original 1741 plans, it continues to thrive and produce.
A team committed to bringing the place to life
Today, the vegetable garden is maintained by the EPCC (Public Cultural Cooperation Establishment) of the Château de La Roche-Guyon, in partnership with the EQUALIS association of Cergy-Pontoise.
This partnership combines heritage preservation, horticultural expertise, and social integration by supporting people in difficult situations to find rewarding and meaningful work.
Plants and fruits at the heart of our creations
The La Roche-Guyon Distillery draws directly from this historic garden to produce its spirits. Fruit, aromatic plants, and botanicals are carefully cultivated here, respecting the seasons and the natural world.
We use, in particular:
- Apples and pears from the orchard
- Sage, rosemary, thyme,
- Anise
- Apple and pear blossoms
These plants nourish our recipes, give our spirits their identity, and continue a tradition dating back nearly three centuries: that of a vegetable garden designed as a place for experimentation, transmission, and creation. The La Roche-Guyon Distillery also sources its raw materials from the Île-de-France and Normandy regions, neighboring our lands.