CHARDONNAY
click on one of the vintages below for further information
Terroir
Château de Pierreux’s 110 hectares of vines are planted in shallow, well-drained pink granitic, schistous, and siliceous soils which contain deposits of blue porphyry from the volcanic eruptions of Mont Brouilly that date back millions of years.
Several parcels, with promising soil, make up this Beaujolais-Villages Blanc.
« Le Roux », 0,5 hectares, mainly granite soil with clay.
« Le Savigny », 0,7 hectares, principally limestone with some clay.
« Le Gonnu », 3 hectares, chiefly on pink granite. This plot facing east-southeast.
Since the 2020 vintage, a fourth parcel has been added:
«Le grand Vernay», 2.9 hecatres, predominantly clay-limestone soil.
The estate was certified High Environmental Value (HVE) in 2020.
The vineyard
Planting density: 8,400 vines/ha.
Age of the vines: plantation 2009.
Pruning: Guyot.
Work philosophy: Growing methods are decided upon vineyard by vineyard according to lutte raisonnée, an environmentally friendly approach. Everything is analysed in detail: risk of disease, the number of harmful and beneficial insects that can be found in each vineyard, the size and number of bunches of grapes per vine, problems with weeds, the health of the vines’ leaves, etc.
Working of the soil: de-earthing, scraping, hoeing between the vines.
This philosophy has 3 objectives:
- limiting the use of chemicals in the vineyards,
- re-establishing the vines’ physiological balance,
- protecting the environment
Varietals
Chardonnay
Tasting
With a beautiful straw-yellow color, this Beaujolais-Villages Blanc gives us acacia, and white flowers aromas with peach and pear hints. The mouth, rich and round, reveals a nice smoothness. The wood is well melted and blends perfectly with the lychee aromas and the citrus notes that mark a final on citrus fruits.
Vinification and ageing
After pressing, the musts are cold-set and then slow-fermented at a low temperature (12-16 ° C). A quarter of the must is put in 450L oak barrels for an ageing of 8 months on fine lees. The remaining wine ages in tank in order to preserve a maximum of fruit aromas. The bottling sets up in June 2017, after the blend of 2 cuvées, 1 month before.
Food and wine pairing
To be tasted with grilled prawns, a Saint-Jacques bellows and soft cheeses or Comté cheese.
Vintage : 2016
The sun shone on the pickers in the Beaujolais. The grapes were high in quality, to a large extent thanks to the spectacular summer sun. The fine rain that fell on 17 September allowed any plots lagging in maturity to ripen fully.
The plot « Le Roux » was harvested on 4 October.
The plot « Le Savigny » was harvested on 11 October.
The plot « Le Gonnu » was harvested in two goes, on 28 September for the earlier rupening areas, with the rest picked on 4 October.