The terroir is unique: the blue clays of Château des Bachelards are found nowhere else in Beaujolais and give the wine a particular velvety texture and mouthfeel. The Clos des Bachelards is a Monopole, also unique. Our terroirs have been enhanced by a chemical-free agriculture since 2007 and this changes everything!
The Beaujolais region offers fascinating geological diversity, and in Fleurie, the soil is marked by the presence of pink granite. This soil, formed 350 million years ago, gives rise to wines of incredible finesse. The erosion of the Hercynian mountains revealed this granite, rich in quartz, feldspar and mica, creating a poor but precious soil for the vines. It is this soil that gives Fleurie wines their unique floral complexity.
On the steep hillsides, where the granite bedrock is just above ground level, the vines produce wines with bright colours and finely chiselled flavours. Further down, the presence of clay enriches the wines, giving them greater complexity and depth. These characteristics mean that these wines have great ageing potential.
The fact that this altered layer is still in place means that erosion in all its forms - and not just the glacial phases of the Quaternary - has spared them. This phenomenon is also found in Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage. The pink colour of the granites is due to the feldspars, to which is often added a rusty tinge from the iron in the black micas.
Clos des Bachelards, the château's historic and unique monopole, benefits from an exceptional terroir: blue clays, specific to this clos, exist nowhere else in Beaujolais and give our wines a velvety texture and a unique mouthfeel. Some describe our Clos des Bachelards cuvée as "the Romanée Conti of Beaujolais".
In the 18th century, the Cistercian monk Dom Denise wrote in his memoir: "the vine that produces the best wines of Burgundy is planted at the beginning of the hillside, on a gently sloping plane. But the vines which are planted at the top of the slope do not produce a wine of as fine a quality as those which are at the foot and on the lower part of the slope of the same hill". This is exactly the situation of the Château des Bachelards in Fleurie.
Since 2018, Beaujolais has been recognised as a Global Geopark by UNESCO, highlighting the geological richness and diversity of its soils. This prestigious label highlights the incredible mosaic of terroirs that make up the region, ranging from granite soils to clay-limestone formations, sand and marl. These varied terroirs give Beaujolais wines a multiple identity, nourished by soils shaped by millennia of natural transformations.
As an official geopartner of the Beaujolais GeoparkChâteau des Bachelards is committed to preserving and enhancing this exceptional environment. Soil biodiversity is at the heart of our farming philosophy, and our biodynamic approach aims to preserve the vitality of the soil for future generations. By growing our vines without chemicals and respecting natural cycles, we play an active part in regenerating the land, thereby contributing to its long-term fertility.
This vision is part of a global commitment to protecting ecosystems, in harmony with the Geopark as a whole, which is working to pass on this unique natural heritage.
Château des Bachelards is fortunate to grow vines on some of the finest terroirs in Beaujolais. To respect these great terroirs and express them in the purest possible way in our wines, biodynamic viticulture was an obvious choice. The vines have been worked organically since 2007 and biodynamically since 2014. The absence of chemical (or mineral) fertilisers and the careful tillage of the soil encourage the vines to sink their roots deeper into the soil to find their water and nutrient resources. It is here, in contact with the granite rock, that the vines will imbibe the DNA of our terroir and pass it on to their grapes and then to the wine.
The soil of a biodynamic vineyard is particularly lively. It has a high density and diversity of fauna. These millions of worms, insects, fungi and bacteria are the pillars of a functioning ecosystem, capable of breaking down the soil's organic matter and making it available to the vine's roots. Good viticulture is therefore based on a balanced ecosystem in the soil, but also in the vine's environment. The variety of plant species surrounding each plot is vital to maintaining the biodiversity necessary for the vine's survival. The plant cover in the vines, the hedges and the trees provide shelter and food for animals and insects that help to maintain the balance of the ecosystem in which our vines are integrated.
Biodynamic farming also means paying attention to lunar cycles and astronomical phenomena. The moon exerts a gravitational force on the Earth's water masses (the tides) and, more generally, on all the water flows that traverse it. The vine, like every living thing, is influenced by the movement of the moon around the earth, but also, to a lesser extent, by that of the stars and planets that surround it (Sun, Mars, Venus, Mercury...). The biodynamic viticulture practised at Les Bachelards therefore draws on this knowledge, which our ancestors mastered so well, to help the vines become naturally more resistant. By carefully selecting the dates for all vine-growing operations according to the biodynamic calendar (pruning, tilling, disbudding, harvesting, etc.), we can increase their effectiveness or limit certain risks associated with the operation.
The power of nature doesn't stop there. At Château des Bachelards, we use plant-based preparations (horsetail, camomile, nettle, yarrow, etc.) that we spray on our vines to help them cope with the difficulties they encounter during their growth cycle: frost, hail, drought, fungal diseases. This, combined with traditional biodynamic preparations based on cow dung and silica, means that we are increasingly free of the phytosanitary products that continually damage the magnificent terroirs that the earth has given us.
Château des Bachelards
Lieu dit Les Bachelards
509 rue de l'abbaye d'Arpayé
69820 Fleurie
Tel: + 33 (0)9 81 49 47 00
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