The story of the Dome
A dome in the Charente vineyards
In Javrezac, two minutes from Cognac, a dome of glass and wood has grown in the middle of the vineyards. Not just another project: a story of family, hands and land.
The Dôme de Cognac sits on Marine's family estate, in the heart of the Charente vineyards. It is a unique accommodation for two, with a private sauna, built from A to Z by Max — triangle of wood after triangle of wood — on land that Marine's family has farmed for seven generations.
Here, we don't tell a success story: we tell a meeting. That of a seventh-generation winemaker and a builder from Nantes, who turned an old farmhouse and a field of vines into a place to recharge.
A word from Max
Before the Charente, I ran a renovation company in Nantes. Then I met Marine. She introduced me to her world and I spent a year learning her trade.
But I've always needed to make things with my hands. Building called to me. So I took a course to learn the structure of geodesic domes, ordered the timber from the local sawmill, and got started. Triangle after triangle, the dome was born — the day the vault closed the frame, I knew it was going to be a magical place.
Today, my goal is simple: that you have a great time. That you leave relaxed, after the sauna, a walk in the vineyards, a good meal. I'll be there to advise you, help you, or just leave you alone if that's what you're looking for.
I hope you enjoy the dome as much as we do.
A word from Marine
I always said I would never take over the family estate. Then life decided otherwise. In 2018, I came back from Marseille. Today, I make cognac, from vine to ageing, through distillation. These walls have been in my family for seven generations, and I'm proud to be their guardian.
I put a lot of energy into bringing this old farmhouse back to life. And when Max arrived, he joined that momentum: he built the dome with his own hands on our land, facing the vineyards — and I focused on creating its atmosphere, so that everyone feels at home.
My greatest pleasure, when you come, is to make you love my region as much as I do. Picking fruit from the orchard trees, gathering wildflowers, feeding the hens — the chicken coop is coming! — or visiting the estate with us...
Building it, step by step
A geodesic dome starts with a simple idea: a structure made of triangles that holds itself up, without a central pillar. Max learned the basics in a course in the Loire region, then everything was done by hand, on site:
The timber was ordered from the local sawmill. Each triangle was cut, drilled, assembled. The frame is self-supporting. The triangular double-glazed windows were made by the glazier in Cognac.
A tour of the estate
Curious guests can discover the distillery, the tractors and the vineyards on request.