Château de la Chaize

Château de la Chaize - noble-ecological in Beaujolais

The Domaine du Château de la Chaize is a vineyard in Beaujolais, about 40 km north of Lyon. The château is owned by the Marquise de Roussy de Sales, herself a descendant of François de La Chaize d'Aix, in turn brother of Louis XIV's confessor. In 1670 he bought the property known as La Douze in Odenas. Between 1674 and 1676, the new castle was built. The property was completed in 1676 and was named Château de la Chaize. Between 1677 and 1693, it continued to expand and was elevated to the status of county and later marquisate.

Beginning of the viticulture on the Château

In 1735, the wedding took place between Françoise de La Chaize d'Aix and Antoine, Marquis of Montaigu, then ambassador of King Louis XV in Venice. The Marquis' personal secretary was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This was the beginning of a family legacy that lasted almost 3 centuries. During the lifetime of Françoise de La Chaize d'Aix and Pierre-François, Marquis of Montaigu, the estate was expanded. From the beginning, the vines were planted in the best sites to produce honest, great wines. The quality of the soils, the slope of the hills and the southeast exposure of almost all the vineyard plots were ideal to create the basis for long-term viticulture. The viticultural facilities and especially the magnificent winery built in 1771 testify to the fact that even then nothing was left to chance. Behind the castle stretches a rectangular parcel of vineyards surrounded by a protective stone wall, which receives sunlight all year round.

The more recent period

In the early 1960s, Madame d'Azincourt, Marquise de Montaigu, a descendant of the Marquis de la Chaize, was photographed in the salon of the Château de La Chaize, where she was being served by one of the servants. The photo appeared on the cover of the famous American weekly magazine Life. The wines of Château de La Chaize have been highly appreciated by Americans for many years.

A history that is becoming a legacy: Clos de La Chapelle des Bois 2001 was served at Buckingham Palace, where the Queen received the President of Poland on May 7, 2004. This elegant, fine wine was served with roasted turbot, potatoes "Maxime", salsify and fennel, as it is written on the multi-page menu, the cover of which is decorated with golden letters. This document is kept at the Château de La Chaize.

The vineyards of Château de la Chaize

Today, for ethical and environmental reasons, Domaine du Château de La Chaize has embarked on an unprecedented energy and environmental transformation.

Five objectives have been set to make this project successful:

• Conversion of the entire winery to organic viticulture
• Self-sufficiency in terms of electricity and heating
• Use of vehicles, equipment and tools that consume only electrical energy
• Recovery and reuse of all by-products from grape growing and winemaking with the ultimate goal of "zero waste"
• Achieving CO₂ neutrality

Château de La Chaize is a vineyard that covers 400 hectares, of which 150 hectares are vineyards. The vineyards are planted exclusively with the Gamay grape variety.

This unique site has created a jewel of an ecosystem that allows the winery to practice viticulture that emphasizes soil life, plant life diversity and the permanent presence of numerous animal species. Each aspect contributes to the balanced, rich and thriving ecosystem of Domaine du Château de La Chaize. Forests and meadows surround the estate and form a natural barrier that contributes to the natural protection of the vines. They serve as a natural biotope control tool to express the quintessence of the vineyards. The Château's single vineyard sites are located in the Fleurie, Cote de Brouilly and Brouilly sub-regions.

The historic winery of the Château de la Chaize

The magnificent winery is registered as a national historic monument. It was designed and built in 1771. Specially equipped forklifts are used to transport the grapes to the tanks by gravity. The Gamay Noir is vinified in the traditional way and thermoregulated after a maceration of about two weeks, depending on the cuvée. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, the must is pressed with a pneumatic horizontal press and a vertical high-performance press. The pomace and the pressed wine are carefully transferred to the cellar, where they are also transported further by 100% gravity.

The 108-meter-long cellar is one of the largest cellars in the world, dating back to the 18th century. The cellar contains 50 wooden tanks for malolactic fermentation, followed by 8 to 18 months of aging, depending on the desired wine profile. During the different seasons, the humidity and temperature remain constant, which is very important for the long and slow aging of the wines.