Page 16 - Nouvelles juin 2020 en web

Beaujolais

everything’s
coming up roses
at the Château
de Pierreux
Alain Dugoujard’s team has been taking
advantage of the winter calm to renovate an
old cave in the château’s walls. it faces north
and is located opposite the little rose garden.
Covering 140m , it will house 70% of the
2
estate’s production in oak foudres.
indeed, we have 20 of these magnificent
50-hectoliter vats made from French oak,
which were refurbished by Brive Tonneliers,
part of the François Frères cooperage. They
were numbered, taken apart, sanded, and
reassembled, stave by stave; 16 of them directly long live BiodynAmic
in the vaulted cellar, which was scrubbed and
cleaned from top to bottom, and revived with
a layer of small gravel and proper drainage. winemAking!
The remaining four foudres were installed in
the cellar beneath the château, and in total
these huge containers add a further 1,000 The year 2020 marks four years of organic cultivation,
hectoliters liters of capacity to an estate
that has grown from 77 to 106 hectares in and three years of biodynamic production
just a few years. at the Château de Pierreux.
These vats are beautifully solid and ensure
the wines enjoy gentle ageing with natural it was in 2017 that the estate selected a large The dynamization process involves boosting the
micro-oxidation through the pores in the plot for a gradual shift to a more respectful way of virtues of the plants infused in rainwater by gently
wood to smooth the tannins and bring lovely winegrowing. it preserves the life of the plant and heating them in a copper basin called a “dynamizer”
minerality. such containers are rare these the soils, and promotes the development of flora that stirs them in big circles to charge them with
days in the Beaujolais because they require
very careful cleaning and maintenance, but at and fauna with the aim of ensuring healthy grapes energy. The application of these preparations is
the Château de Pierreux, we love our foudres! faithful to their terroir. guided by the movement of the planets and the lunar
The Cuvée Réserve enjoys ageing of six to eight This young vineyard, planted in 2009 and 2011 with calendar, in order to optimize their dynamic effects.
months on average, and the Cuvée Terres de rows two meters apart and trellised at a height of Wild herbs growing locally, such as nettle, horsetail –
Pierreux ages for around one year. The first 1.7m, has never had an application of weed killer which is abundant in the vines here – and dandelion
wines from the 2019 vintage were assembled in
the spring and the foudres were then cleaned in its history. For centuries, it has been referred to complete this plant-based therapy.
and given a fresh toast in anticipation of the as Le Midi, due to the fact it faces due south on All these preparations are intended to stimulate the
next harvest. a slight slope, with very sandy, well-drained soil. vines’ natural defenses and to allow us to reduce the
Today, it produces between 35 and 45 hectoliters number of applications of sulfur and copper applied
per hectare, and has produced remarkably healthy to protect them from mildew and powdery mildew.
grapes since its conversion. The first indication of these attentive treatments is
The herbs and plants used in the various infusions the lovely foliage the vines tend to develop.
and potions applied as part of this approach are The wines are vinified and aged separately, and
grown by the gardener in the kitchen garden of the although it may still be too early to perceive on
www.chateaudepierreux.com château: Comfrey, absinthe, yarrow, lavender, and tasting, we are convinced these wines that make up
 Château De Pierreux valerian are dried or used fresh, and are “dynamized” the Reserve cuvée blend will bring all the benefits
 @chateaudepierreux on the spot. of nature to the wine.
Boisset La Famille des Grands Vins
16 www.boisset.com - summer 2020