GRANDE RÉSERVE
click on one of the vintages below for further information
Terroir
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.
The vineyard
Planting density: 10,000 vines/ha
Age of the vines: 83 years
Yields: between 18 and 25 hL, depending on the vintage.
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.
Varietals
100% Gamay
Tasting
Color: deep garnet.
Nose: very intense, it reveals subtle and varied perfumes. The forest fruits blend wonderfully with notes of pepper and liquorice that complicate this aromatic panel.
Palate: Fleshy and warm, powerful and sweet. A palette of fruits invades our senses to reveal a beautiful length.
Vinification and ageing
The spectacular summer sunshine, offer a vintage of great quality.The very low yield (18hl/ha) allowed us to obtain a good concentration of sugar and polyphenols. The harvest is destemmed 100%. We applied a slow fermentation between 22 and 25°C and a maceration of 22 days. A slow and soft extraction was carried out to calm the power of the vintage and the soil. The juices were thundered. This cuvée will age on fine lees, in the vaulted cellars of the castle, for 24 months.
8,500 bottles were bottled in November 2019.
Ageing potential
Prefer to wait 5 years to fully appreciate it. Ageing potential 15 to 20 years
Vintage : 2017
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.