Château de Béru

History of Château de Béru

Château de Béru is a historic family property whose origins date back to the 17th century. The vineyard has always been an integral part of this estate located in the immediate vicinity of the great crus of the Chablis region. Long before that, as early as the 12th century, Cistercian monks had recognized the greatness of the Clos Béru terroir and cultivated vines there. This ancestral link between the family and its vineyard lands has crossed the centuries, until the catastrophe that would change everything.

The estate lived entirely from the vineyard until the phylloxera crisis of 1887, which required the uprooting of the entire vineyard. After this tragedy, the lands remained abandoned for nearly a century. It was Athénaïs's father, Count Eric de Béru, who in 1987 made the ambitious and courageous decision to replant the estate, left fallow by his grandparents following the ravages of phylloxera.

The true qualitative turning point came at the beginning of the 2000s. Since 2004, it is Athénaïs de Béru who has given new momentum to Château de Béru with cultivation and vinification methods that strengthen the link between the wines and their terroirs. Armed with a clear vision and a profound respect for living things, this extraordinary winemaker has managed to awaken the sleeping beauty and inscribe Château de Béru among the great signatures of the Chablis appellation. With each vintage, new knowledge is acquired and new nuances of the terroir are discovered.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Château de Béru

Château de Béru benefits from a remarkable geographical position. Located in the very heart of the Chablis vineyard, the vines are planted around a hill at the summit of which stands the château. These parcels are situated between 250 and 400 meters altitude and are exclusively planted with Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian limestone. This characteristic soil, composed of calcareous clay and fossilized oyster deposits, is the very DNA of great Chablis: it gives the wines that sharp minerality, that chiseled freshness and that saline tension that make their worldwide reputation.

At the heart of this ensemble lies the Clos Béru, a unique terroir enclosed by historic walls erected in the 13th century. Delimited by historic walls and spanning five hectares within an absolutely exceptional terroir, composed of clay-limestone soil and fossilized oysters, and enjoying an incredible microclimate on the south-facing slope of a hill at 300 meters altitude, this clos is planted exclusively with Chardonnay.

Around this jewel gravitate other equally remarkable parcels. One can mention Terroir de Béru, Montserre, Côte aux Prêtres, Orangerie, Vaucoupin and Clos de Béru, which pay homage to their original terroirs. Each of these parcels presents a distinct personality: Montserre is built around a very dry and crystalline acidity, with remarkable purity, while Côte aux Prêtres takes its name from its proximity to an ancient pilgrimage path leading to Vézelay en route to Compostela.

To preserve and best express these exceptional terroirs, the entire vineyard is managed using organic cultivation and a large portion in biodynamics, with the aim of respecting balance and biodiversity and revealing the essence of each estate terroir. Following the gradual reintroduction of horses in the vineyards and the regular practice of light plowing, including between the vine stocks, while completely prohibiting the use of herbicides, the estate has favored the natural balance of soils, forcing the vines to plunge their roots deep. The vines are hand-harvested with the greatest respect for the berries.

Vinifications at Château de Béru

The winemaking philosophy at Château de Béru is based on a founding principle: letting the terroir express itself without constraint. Vinifications are carried out without additives, aging is long and conducted in accordance with natural cycles and seasons. The grapes are carefully selected and gently pressed. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with natural yeasts, allowing the microbial biodiversity of the vineyard to find its extension in the wine.

To accompany the spirit of the vintage, the estate plays with harvest dates, pressing cycles or barreling. The different parcels are vinified separately to preserve the identity of each. Aging varies according to cuvées: one part is done in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and aromatic purity, while another part goes into wood, allowing a more complex integration and increased aging potential.

The estate is certified in biodynamics by Demeter, and its wines receive no additives other than a touch of sulfur at bottling to ensure proper conservation (20 mg/L total, for a legal limit of 150 mg/L). Since 2012, certain cuvées are bottled without sulfur. More daring cuvées have also emerged, sometimes vinified in amphorae, sometimes macerated, or experimenting with new grape varieties and extraordinary blends. This permanent quest for wine honesty and vintage expression places Château de Béru in the very exclusive circle of great artisans of natural Chablis.

The Cuvées of Château de Béru

Terroirs de Béru (Chablis)

An entry-level cuvée into the estate's universe, Terroirs de Béru is much more than a simple Chablis village. The ambition of this cuvée is to restore as sincerely as possible the distinctive character of wines produced on the Béru hill. It is a blend of the estate's different parcels, whose common points are the altitude, the northern location in the Chablis vineyard and the strong presence of Kimmeridgian limestone in the soils. Aging takes place both in stainless steel tanks and in wood and lasts 18 months.

Orangerie (Chablis)

The Orangerie cuvée is one of the estate's most original expressions. This macerated white Chablis shows new facets of Chardonnay, playing on a fuller texture and an aromatic palette with notes of quince, candied citrus and pastry. This Chablis delivers a very indulgent structure with pastry notes, quince and a lemon zest. 

Montserre (Chablis)

From the eponymous parcel located on the Béru hill, the Montserre cuvée impresses with its crystalline purity. Magnificently built around a very dry and crystalline acidity, this wine displays remarkable purity and a mouthwatering length that testifies to Kimmeridgian typicity at its highest degree of expression. Taut, precise, with chiseled minerality, Montserre is suitable both for young tasting, with seafood and noble fish, and for several years of cellaring.

Côte aux Prêtres (Chablis)

The Côte aux Prêtres parcel spans 1.9 hectares and takes its name from its proximity to an ancient pilgrimage path leading to Vézelay en route to Compostela. The wine produced from it presents astonishing verticality with more richness on the palate. The tension is palpable, with a bit more indulgence and a saline minerality present at every moment. Deep, saline, iodized, Côte aux Prêtres is often cited among the most representative cuvées of the Château de Béru style and offers aging potential of more than 10 years.

Vaucoupin (Chablis Premier Cru)

Vaucoupin is the estate's Premier Cru cuvée, produced from a terroir ranked among the finest of the appellation. Chablis Vaucoupin is characterized by its liveliness reflecting all the minerality and finesse of its terroir. A magnificent Premier Cru of beautiful expression, combining complexity and elegance. Supported by the rigor of biodynamics and the precision of vinifications without additives, this Premier Cru embodies the success of the Béru project in all its dimension: a terroir wine, honest and ambitious.

Clos Béru Monopole (Chablis)

The estate's most prestigious cuvée, and undoubtedly one of the finest expressions of Chablis Chardonnay currently available for purchase. Clos Béru Monopole is the emblematic cuvée of Château de Béru. The freshness, minerality and persistence make this Clos Béru Monopole an extraordinary wine. Delimited by historic walls and benefiting from an exceptional microclimate on the south-facing slope of a hill, at 300 meters altitude, this clos planted exclusively with Chardonnay delivers a sovereign interpretation of Kimmeridgian. Aged for a long time in accordance with natural cycles, without additives, with rigorous parcel-by-parcel vinification, this exceptional age-worthy wine requires a few years of cellaring to reveal its full complexity. 

The Athénaïs Cuvées (Négociant)

In addition to the estate wines, Athénaïs de Béru has launched a négociant brand project bearing her first name. Its purpose is to expand the range by rigorously selecting winegrowers who cultivate their parcels according to similar principles, with the greatest respect for the land and Burgundy terroirs. These Athénaïs wines bring together négociant cuvées primarily from grape varieties and emblematic terroirs of the Yonne such as Aligoté, Sauvignon or Pinot Noir. With little or no added sulfites, these free-spirited wines testify to Athénaïs de Béru's consistency in her approach: accompanying the grape, connecting with terroirs, and offering sincere wines at accessible prices. The Bourgogne Épineuil in Pinot Noir, in particular, captivates with its fruity brilliance and vigorous constitution.