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

The vintage 2012 is fine, elegant and well-balanced.
The tannins are soft ; the wine has an intense purple colour.
A suave, stylish, pleasing vintage

3 to 6 years

The year started with dry conditions and Siberian temperatures in February ( the coldest since 1960) followed by a dry and unusually warm month of March. Budding occurred early, some 8 days ahead of normal. Then April brought cold , rainy weather, followed by milder conditions later in Spring. The flowering was late and the length of the flowering period very long (11 days) which brought about millerandage (small uneven-sized berries). Result : the harvest is going to be small ! July's weather was changeable with frequent stormy periods ! Finally Summer really arrived in mid-August with heat-wave conditions which helped lead to a healthier vineyard. The grape-picking started on the 12th September at the Chateau de Pierreux. The grapes had suffered somewhat and required rigorous sorting, but the result is there !