The vineyards of the Beaujolais region are very hilly. They are delimited on one side by the foothills of France’s Massif Central mountain range and overlook the Saône River’s floodplain between Mâcon and Lyon. Nestled at the foot of Mont Brouilly, Château de Pierreux is one of the most beautiful residences in the Beaujolais region.

Several centuries of history have shaped this ancient 13th-century fortified house of which two towers still stand today. The castle was renovated several times over the centuries. Its vaulted cellars date back to the 17th century while the current building was erected in the 19th century.

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.

The estate was certified High Environmental Value (HVE) in 2020.

Planting density: 6,000 to 10,000 vines/ha
Age of the vines: 42% of the plots are over 40 years old.
Pruning: gobelet & Cordon

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:

100% Gamay

With a beautiful intense purple color, this Brouilly opens with floral notes, black fruits and spices. The mouth is dense, elegant with notes of blackcurrant and peony. The tannins are melted and silky. We also find the mineral touch that characterizes the wines of Pierreux.

A light sorting had to be carried out upon receipt of the harvest to perfect the cuvée and enhance its quality.
The grapes are 100% destemmed and then vinified in concrete vats. We applied a fairly slow fermentation between 22 and 28 ° C with 1 pumping over per day and maceration for 12 to 18 days, with 2 to 4 loads at the end of maceration. Aging in 50hL oak casks lasted 6 months to develop the structure, smooth the tannins and allow micro-oxygenation.
First bottling at the end of March 2022.

Its concentration and elegance will allow us to taste it young, but it is a wine that can age without problem (3 to 6 years or more).

The first quarter of 2021 was characterized by an average temperature and a little excess rainfall. These conditions led to a bud break reached on April 5 on average. This same month was marked by a period of "historic" frosts between April 5 and 8. The month of May was also particularly cold, very rainy and quite sunny. Following these two cool months, the beginning of flowering stage was reached at a late date (June 9 on average). July was cool, not very sunny and very rainy. It has been 44 years since it rained so much in July. August was cool and dry overall. The beginning of veraison stage was reached on average on August 5th.
At this stage, the 2021 vintage was 18 days later than in 2020. This climate has generated a lot of work in the vineyards and has not given us any respite. Fortunately, the weather became mild again after August 12, and this until the harvest. The harvest at Château de Pierreux started on September 13th in rather cool conditions. This makes 2021 the 4th latest vintage since 1992.
The 2021 harvest is marked by heterogeneity from one plot to another, due to the great diversity of the terroirs, with a variable sensitivity to the different hazards of the year, which ultimately results in variable yields (from correct to very low). A sorting in the vineyard and in the cellar was carried out at Château de Pierreux. The wines are in "moderation", lighter in alcohol and in tannic structure than some "hot" vintages of the last years.

January 2023 - James Suckling, MW - 92/100