Néac is a town of the Greater Saint-Emilion Area and part of the Canton of North Libourne. Located 10 km from Libourne, it is also located 10 km from Saint-Emilion, on a hill that stands at 54 meters high, its area is 688 ha. Today the town has 377 inhabitants, and they are called Néacais and Néacaises.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Origin of the name

The name of the town Néac is the contracted form of Naujac which probably derives from Noviacus or Novius, words of Gallo-Roman origin.

History

Néac is a town in Gironde whose proximity with Pomerol has encouraged the wine vocation. The origin of the names of some localities of the town of Néac such as Sauriac or Sivrac, derivatives Sivriacus and demonstrates the existence of a Gallo-Roman civilization although few traces remain of that time because of lootings from Germanic invasions. In the Middle Ages, the parish of Néac is attached to the lordship of Puynormand, which included 22 parishes.

Néac is also marked by its wine and energy that has been shown by winemakers to obtain AOC whose history was eventful: the wines have carried the names of Pomerol or Néac-Pomerol and Néac ever since.

A NATURAL HERITAGE

The town is crossed by the Barbanne of approximately 2.5 km.

VINEYARDS

In the municipality of Néac, red wines can get the name Néac, however as the village is not well-known, many wine producers perefer to label their products under the name of Lalande de Pomerol.

POINTS OF INTEREST

The Tourist Office offers routes through the town of Néac:

• A walking hike "Néac - Lalande de Pomerol" a 4 km hike of about 1 hour
• A bike ride "Néac - Lalande de Pomerol" a 13 km bike ride taking about 1h15

You can find all the routes here.

Monuments to discover:

The Château Siaurac is an example of the important wineries in the town of Néac. This classic architecture château shows the outline of the previous castle, and has a symmetrical façade on two levels. The south side overlooks a park, while the opposite side opens onto a courtyard surrounded by two wings in which one can finds offices, cellars and various facilities necessary for such a wine estate.

The town of Néac retains a Mission Cross of the late 19th century. It demonstrates the commitment of the Church to revive the faith at the end of the century while churchgoers became few. The Church then organized missions, consisting of sermons and religious ceremonies, usually in several places. With such activity, most often, resulting the setting up of a memorial cross, as an important and sober message.

The Church of Saint-Brice of Néac is a large 19th century building that overlooks the Barbanne creek. It stands on the site of a former building of the 11th century. This former more primitive church gradually appeared too small, and was thus subject to alterations and enlargements. The church was then known for its statues of St. Cosmas and St. Damian; to whom local people dedicated a special devotion. The old church was razed to the ground and a building was rebuilt in 1866 because it was deteriorating over time and threatened to collapse. The church today has a traditional architecture of the 19th century. The church is dedicated to Saint-Brice, deacon of St. Martin whom became bishop thereafter.