Château Beausejour

Château Beauséjour was built in 1851. The rich family who built it owned several vineyard estates in the Bordeaux region and were also prosperous wine merchants. In those days, the large chai was used to store and age the most prestigious wines of the Saint Émilion and Pomerol regions (Cheval Blanc, Petrus, Beau-Séjour, Nénin, La Conseillante, ... and Château Beauséjour!)

The estate was purchased in 1994 by a group of wine loving investors. During this period, a Negociant Company was in charge of the management and the marketing of the wines.

Pierre BERNAULT has owned Château Beauséjour since December 2004; Pierre comes from a family of vine growers, who have been cultivating their own vineyards since 1850.

As soon as Pierre Bernault bought Beauséjour, Stéphane Derenoncourt and his team got involved in giving them advice on restoration of the vineyard and the soil, as well as on the rigorous stages of the process of making and maturing wine.

The effect of this excellent cooperation immediately appeared since the first vintage made in common between Bernault/Derenoncourt, the 2005 vintage, has been acclaimed by the press and tasters and has been listed by Gavin Quinney in the top 100 best wines of the Bordeaux region.

In the 7th edition of his book "BORDEAUX ET SES VINS" (Bordeaux and its wines) dated 1898, Edouard FERET describes this vineyard:

"The vineyard is situated on the highest chalky clay hillsides of the area. It is planted with our finest grape varieties grafted onto American rootstock and produces one of the most elegant and full-bodied wines of the village."

The vineyard acreage is today 37 acres (12 hectares), shared between Merlot grape varieties (70%) and Cabernet Franc grape varieties (30%). The very old vines are pampered and preserved at all cost, along with their plant material (from varieties that no longer exist...), which is reproduced on site with the help of enthusiastic nurserymen, in order to preserve these vines on our plots, since they have enjoyed living here for so long, some for more than 100 years.

The pruning of the vines is in double Guyot and the number of vine buds is limited in order to reduce the yield.
As a result, the bunches of grapes are evenly distributed along the trunks of the vines, without being jointed, thus improving the maturation and preventing the development of different forms of blight.

The vines are situated at the top of the hillside, on the south southwest-facing slope, stretching from outside the bell tower of the Montagne church to the mills of Calon. They benefit from very good chalky subsoil and a thin layer of chalky-clay soil. This is a warm terroir suitable for the maturity of the Merlot.

The outstanding terroir and the low yields allow us to practise integrated agriculture at Château Beauséjour. That is to say that the growing methods and the vine cultivation aim to limit as much as possible the use chemical products. They are used only when no other natural solution is possible.

Manual Harvest:

Only grapes which have reached optimal ripeness are harvested. The decision to harvest this or that part of the vines is made by Stéphane Derenoncourt, after tasting the berries.

The grapes are brought to the chai in small crates, and then, after separation of the berries from the stems, are manually sorted, in order to remove those that are not perfect! The berries are then conveyed to the vat via a peristaltic pump (a device which respects the grapes).

The berries are not crushed (so they do not burst in the press): the first run juice will appear in the vats, and not before, in order to avoid oxidation.

Thermoregulation:

Each vat is fitted with a temperature regulation system, allowing us to fully control the fermentation temperatures. The vinification takes place in vats, following the traditional method used in Bordeaux area. The duration of soaking is measured there and pumping over is done manually, every eight hours, so as to get a perfect extraction of aromas, tannins and phenolic mixtures.

Elevage:

for a duration...that is changing every year, depending on the characteristics of each vintage! (the duration is 12 to 24 months, depending on the vintage). The decision to complete the elevage in casks is always made, after tasting, by Stéphane Derenoncourt.

Additional details:

Approximately 30% new barrels for "1901"

Approximately 10% new barrels for "Château Beauséjour"

Once-, twice- and thrice-used barrrels for "Le Charme"

The malolactic fermentation is done in barrels, followed by the batonnage (lees stirring) in order to keep the thin lees in suspension, as long as it is of great benefit to the wine.

The owners: Pierre BERNAULT and Children,

he used to work as a network engineer for the CEA (Commissionership to the Atomic Energy in France) and then, at Microsoft France. Enthusiastic for the world of wine, he attended classes on viticulture and oenology at the CFPPA (Professional Training and Agricultural Promotion Center) at Beaune in Bourgogne, and decided to set off on this adventure and make a dream come true. In 2004, he bought Château Beauséjour and settled there with his family. His goal: to rebuild the reputation of the Beauséjour vineyard, situated on the finest terroir of Montagne Saint Émilion, and produce there one of the greatest wines of the region.