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: 10,000 vines/ha
Age of the vines: 40/45 years
Pruning: goblet

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.

100% Gamay

With a deep and garnet-red color, this Brouilly gives us black fruits aromas. The mouth, fresh, rich and aromatic, has a lot to offer. It reveals a nice smoothness, with a medium body from soft tannins. We can always feel that mineral hint which tells us we are well on a Brouilly from Pierreux terroir.

A careful sorting had to be done, upon receipt of the harvest. The grapes are destemmed to 100% and then vinified in concrete vats. We applied a slow fermentation between 22 and 28°C with 2 pumpings per day and a maceration of 12 to 15 days, with 2 to 4 loads at the end of maceration. The oak barrels of 50hL lasted 7 months to develop the structure, smooth the tannins and allow micro oxygenation.Bottling in September 2018.

Harvesting began during a heatwave, and then a few episodes of rain allowed the vines and remaining grapes to recover some vigor. Thus, the fruit was superb and very aromatic, indicating roundness and wonderful structure. The harvest at the Château took place between August 28 and September 15.