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: 10 to 70 years. 42% of 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:
- limiting the use of chemicals in the vineyards,
- re-establishing the vines’ physiological balance,
- protecting the environment.
100% Gamay
Intense purple in colour, this Brouilly opens with notes of flowers, very ripe black fruit and spices. The palate is dense, smooth and elegant, with notes of blueberries and peonies. The tannins are smooth and silky. We also find the mineral touch that characterises Pierreux wines.
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 2023.
Its concentration and elegance mean that it can be enjoyed young, but it is a wine that will age well (3 to 8 years or more).