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A three Bedroom House - Located in the South of France
Consisting of a ground floor, two upper floors and a rooftop terrace, number 10 is the tallest building within a small hamlet that contains sixteen residences, called MAS DE BOUDET. Known as a “maison vigneron” - a wine grower’s house, this imposing building sits in a favourably elevated position, 200 metres above sea level, surrounded by some of the most dramatic scenery in the whole of Languedoc. Drive just 5 minutes from the house and you will experience your first view of the shimmering Mediterranean sea!
Originally purchased in 1989 as a casual holiday home, the 19th century house has been gradually renovated over a three-decade period and is now habitable throughout the year. Taking full advantage of its elevated position, recent improvements include the addition of a large roof terrace, offering spectacular, uninterrupted views across vineyards, towards the rugged mountains of the Cevennes. Blessed by a cooling breeze, it is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a balmy summer evening.
Initially appearing on a Napoleonic map dated 1827, the house (shown on the right ) is listed in the first official local census of 1836, showing various members of the Boudet family in residence, as well as their close relatives. Although the house interior shows no signs of 19th century detail, there are several features such as the staircase, marble fire surround and encaustic tiles in the living and dining room, which are very much early 20th century.
More than 300 days of sunshine per year was what drew the current owners to this part of France. After an extensive search, the area where the house is located seemed to them to be original and unspoilt, with an easy pace of life that appealed. A bonus was the temperate winters where the average January temperature is around 12°C. And of course, the surrounding scenery was breathtaking.
In the immediate vicinity of the house are two small, sleepy villages, both less than a six minutes’ drive away.
Cabrials is a pretty hamlet of approximately 60 occupants, surrounded by an area of outstanding natural beauty. Despite its small population, it manages to operate an outside café and a general provision store, which is a co-operative venture, run entirely by the residents themselves.
Plaissan (left) is slightly larger and has recently increased its population by building a number of modern villas. Far from detracting from the charm of the village, this limited development has had the benefit of prompting the opening of a small, well-stocked supermarket, an on-site bakery for those all-important baguettes and a competitively priced brasserie. There is also a new health centre and a recently opened children’s day-care centre.
There are a number of small villages similar to Cabrials and Plaissan in the area, all retaining their own individual character. Discovering each and every one is an essential part of appreciating how fortunate to be living in this part of France is.
The house is also in an excellent location for travel further afield.
Head south to reach the modern international airport of Montpellier, just 40 minutes’ drive, or head west to Bezier airport which is also just 40 minutes’ drive
Drive west for 20 minutes to access the toll-free A75 motorway, which heads up to the centre of France, connecting with other major motorways for further onward travel.
A 25 minute drive south and the A9 motorway ( La Languedocienne) runs parallel with the sea and will either take you west, all the way to the Spanish border (1hour 45minutes) or east towards the French and Italian Rivieras.
Express ( including TGV ) trains operate from Montpellier’s two stations to Lyon (1h 35m), Barcelona (2h 30m), Paris (3h 30m) or Nice (4h 10m).
Clermont L’Herault, the nearest town and a 20 minute drive, has a large, colourful and extremely popular Wednesday market. Locally grown fruit and vegetables compete for attention, whilst seasonal offerings, from areas further afield, are plentiful. Expect to find award winning olive oil, bottled in the town itself, local honey sold direct by the producers, goat’s cheese from nearby Aveyron , as well as plenty of organic produce. Seasonal highlights include extra - large cherries and sweet wild strawberries.
For weekly shopping, Clermont has four large supermarkets, two are well known French brands plus there is also Aldi and Lidl. There are also supermarkets in nearby Villeverac, Gignac (excellent fresh fish counter) and Balaruc, the latter being by far the largest of the three and situated within a mega shopping complex. This “mall” contains fashionable clothes shops as well as several good value restaurants which cater for all budgets.
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Despite being only a small hamlet, homeowners have recently welcomed a number of improvements to Mas de Boudet. These include the provision of fibre-optic cables for fast internet access (number 10 also has a satellite internet connection if required), as well as an area containing dispensers for re-cycling purposes (very unusual for such a small number of houses), There is also a community notice board outlining continual events which take place in the nearby villages. Not mentioned as yet, but nearby St.Pargoire is an historic village offering a host of activities to please a variety of age groups. All nationalities are welcomed and are encouraged to take part in the community. In fact, at the beginning of each year, there is a personal invitation from the Maire to join in an evening of wine, food and music
Without listing every attraction that makes this area popular with visitors worldwide, mention must be given to Meze, Marseillan, Agde, Valras Plage and Palavas les Flots, all are between 20 to 45 minutes’ drive. They are all seaside resorts with their own unique French charm, as well as attractive sandy beaches. The longest and widest beach (shown on the left) is located outside the large fishing port of Sete, stretching an impressive twelve kilometres in length. This atmospheric port has some very good - quality fish restaurants, as well as a vibrant, year-round, cultural activity programme.
Keeping within the same driving radius, the ever popular town of Pezenas is worthy of a visit anytime of the year. As well as an excellent Saturday market, Pezenas is famous for its numerous antique shops, located within ancient, narrow cobbled streets that have remained unspoilt by modern development. A major antique fair is held twice a year and attracts participants from all parts of France and overseas. The video on the right gives a feel of this charming town. Another nearby popular attraction is Lake Salagou - ideal for water sports, cycling and walking
HOUSE SYNOPSIS
Ground Floor and Garage -There is a good-sized workroom with ample storage space for wood, for use in the upstairs wood burner. There is also a large, sturdy work bench. A new electricity board has been installed, to enable readings to be taken from the outside of the house, without disturbance to the occupants. This is also the case with water metre readings.
The garage is large and can accommodate two medium size vehicles. There is also a parking space outside the house. Within the garage, there is plenty of cupboard storage. as well as a washing machine and small freezer. There is also a mezzanine area, ideal for storage or future conversion.
Entrance Hall (shown on the left) – leads to a newly fitted modern bathroom, featuring a corner bath, washbasin and toilet. The floor has been re-tiled.
The hallway floor has also been re-covered using attractive travertine tiling. Walls have been decorated in a period wallcovering.
HOUSE SYNOPSIS
Middle Floor – Contains a kitchen with modern oven, hob and extractor, plus French - style stand-alone cupboards and sideboards.
The living room and dining room both contain original encaustic tiling, dating back to the early 20th century. Ceilings are 2 metres 60cm high. There is an efficient wood – burner in the dining room for the odd chilly night. Outside there is a 5-metre-long terrace.
Upper Floor – Upper hallway walls have been left un-plastered, displaying the attractive original stone. Whilst not scoring the highest marks in modern day heat retention tests, the current owners have not experienced it to be particularly cold during Winter. This level contains three similar sized bedrooms, all decorated with quality wallcovering. Both end bedrooms have additional thermal wallpaper underneath. The upper floor leads up to the rooftop terrace area. There is also a shower room with toilet and basin. All windows in the house are double glazed and there is good roof insulation.
Rooftop Terrace – 4 metres 60 in length, this terrace is the perfect spot for relaxing under the covered pergola, sipping a local glass of wine and admiring the far-reaching views. It is also the perfect spot for a roof BBQ.
Additional Pictures
With the nearest vines less than thirty metres from the front door, it seems natural as an onlooker, to appreciate the laborious cultivation process that demands vines be attended to on an almost daily basis. Observing the season finale of the “vendange”, the harvesting - either by machine or hand, never fails to excite. September is the month where local roads are flooded with small trucks taking the precious produce to the nearest winery, before commencing their journey to become bottled wine. Traditionally, popular grape varieties grown in the area have always been Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache Noir and Carignan Noir. However, some of the newer local wine producers have recently introduced more unusual grape varieties (for the area) such as Aubun, Chasselas and Tempranillo. There are several active family-owned producers cultivating vines immediately surrounding Mas de Boudet, all offering excellent standard and organic wines: -
Domaine Haut-Blanville cultivate several hectares of nearby land and have recently opened a purpose-built wine cellar 150 metres from the house.
Domaine Mylene Bru is operated by a young and enthusiastic couple who are having great success and recognition, particularly outside Europe. They are situated less than 10 minutes from the house and offer samplings and direct sales of their wine.
Domaine Mont Rosier, the owners of whom spent their childhood years actually living at number 10, currently produce organic wines, as well as operating several holiday gites within their property.
Organic wine producers use no pesticide, the lightest possible grape treatments with products authorised according to organic wine standards, as well as manual harvesting.