TERROIRS, VINEYARDS, AND EXPERTISE OF CHÂTEAU DE PIZAY

Vineyards & Chai

Nature preserved,
team spirit,
patience, diligence, tenacity.

We harvest grapes from our patchwork of vineyards where each Beaujolais appellation is more enchanting than the next.

The Château de Pizay estate spreads over nearly 80 hectares or 200 acres in the heart of the loveliest Beaujolais appellation areas.

Our single 50 hectare/125 acre spread around the château itself is a jewel of the Beaujolais region. Purchasing vineyards in Régnié-Durette in 1988 added diversity to our terroirs.

Château de Saint-Lager’s 13 hectares/32 acres of Brouilly vineyards, purchased in 1998, further enhance the breath of our lands.

EXPLORE OUR VINEYARD PARCELS

The estate has been Haute Valeur Environmentale* Value (HVE) certified since 2015.

logo agriculture biologique

*the highest official French environmental certification

Our tending methods aim at stimulating the vines’ natural defences. We will only intervene if it is absolutely necessary, without destroying the ecosystem in place and remaining mindful of our biotopes. We sow grass to create sodded bands between the rows of vines, these regulate water supply and encourage biodiversity.

One of our sharecropped holdings has been organically tended since 2000.

A multidisciplinary team

We form a tightknit team of men and women who all enjoy a challenge. There are around 15 of us here full time, each an expert in our own field; from vine work to administrative tasks.

We also regularly host apprentices and trainees. To us, it is key to exchange and pass on skills and know-how.

Every year, grape picking season acts as a catalyst, forming and reinvigorating existing bonds, bringing our teams closer together putting the future into clearer focus.

We check ripening every day to be able to pinpoint the optimum time to harvest. Over 40 pickers join us to share the work and the joy during this key period every year. 50 % of our grapes are handpicked. The other half is picked mechanically with an on-board sorting table to guarantee that only the highest quality grapes arrive at the chai.

We aim to draw out the maximum possible fruit and freshness from our grapes.

The whole bunches of grapes are transferred directly from the picking hod to the vat, without being destemmmed or crushed. We craft our wines using traditional methods, starting with carbonic maceration. This allows us to draw out a maximum fresh fruit aromas and flavours, all the while minimising tannins.

Our most intricate cuvées are matured in barrels or tuns (very high volume oak barrels) to further refine their personalities.