Cap Moulin-à-Vent

The Perrachon family has been winemaker in Beaujolais since 300 years. Château Bonnet has been their property since 3 generations (the castle and cellars are dating from the XVII century). It is a real family estate; Pierre-Yves and Marie-Luce are working with their children Charlotte and Julien.

The estate covers 20 hectares of vines in the best part of the area such as Chenas, Moulin-à-Vent, Juliénas, Saint-Amour and Beaujolais Villages (white, rosé and red). Beaujolais Crus of Château Bonnet are well known and awarded in France but also at international competitions.

Château Bonnet is commited to produce their wines in a sustainable, responsible and ecologic way. So on each bottle, you will find the “Terra Vitis” logo which proves this commitment.

Nathalie and Eric Boyer settled in 2007 and now cultivate 3.75 hectares of vines in Moulin-A-Vent, an exceptional cru.
They are developing the ambitious project of bringing the château, its park and outbuildings back to life, as in the past with an art of living in harmony with nature.

After several years of sustainable viticulture, they decide to radically move towards biodynamics and the production of a natural wine, like the essence of a land celebrated and loved in full consciousness.

A true ecological and eco-responsible place, the Château des Gimarets estate brings together animals useful for the upkeep of the land with their mule, sheeps and chickens, and it vibrates to the sounds of music during concerts and various cultural events throughout the year.

Gamay is a noble grape and a traditional vinification methods is used. This includes a long period of maceration that comes after a careful selection of the best fruits and a thorough destemming, followed by a periode of maturation in oak barrels to produce silky, delicate wines. 

The 88 hectares of Château des Jacques are a great asset and possess a rich history. 

An emblematic estate since 1732, the Château du Moulin-à-Vent sits in the very heart of the appellation, 200 yards behind the 15th century-old windmill. Formerly called the Château des Thorins, the estate changed its name when the AOC was born in 1936, but the Château still stands on the flagship terroir of the appellation: Les Thorins.

In 1872, as Gevrey became Gevrey-Chambertin or Puligny became Puligny-Montrachet, etc., the village of Romanèche took the name of its most famous grand cru to become Romanèche-Thorins.

Today, the family-owned estate has 74 acres of vineyards, exclusively in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. The Parinet family, along with Brice Laffond, foster a strategy fo excellence and a meticulous approach guided by the very identity of their exceptional terroirs. 

“Son of winegrowers, I represent the 4th generation on the estate.
After my studies and an experience in New Zealand, I joined with my parents in 2019. Family domain, we share all our experiences and our skills. Since 2020 we have been on the way to organic viticulture. Our estate covers 18 ha over 5 appellations: Beaujolais-Villages, Régnié, Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-A-Vent in the lieu-dit called “Au Mont”.
Each cuvée is produced with respect for its terroir in order to express all its peculiarities. I am lucky to do a job that I am passionate about.”

~Pierre-Alexandre Gauthier

Maison Albert Bichot, historically established in Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Mercurey with its 5 estates covering nearly 100 hectares of vines, acquired the Domaine de Rochegrès in Moulin-à-Vent in 2014.

Covering 5.2 hectares of the 660 hectares of the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, the vines are ideally located at the heart of the Rochegrès single vineyard where, as its name suggests, the granitic parent rock (roche) is visible at the surface of the soil amid the rows of vines. This exceptional and distinctive location uncontestably defines the profile of these structured, fleshy wines that boast an impressive range of floral aromas.

Albert Bichot produces two different wines : a Moulin-à-Vent made with grapes from ‘La Rochelle’, ‘Aux Monts’ and from the youngest vines of ‘Rochegrès’, and a single-vineyard cuvée called ‘Rochegrès’, with grapes from very old vines (from 80 to 100 years), exclusively located on the ‘Rochegrès’ terroir.

The Moulin-à-Vent appellation has existed since 1924, but our family already had winemakers working on the fields since 1918.

4th generation of winemakers on this domain, we are doing our best, using modern techniques associated with old vinification methods transmitted by our grandparents and parents, to maintain a quality and typicality of our Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chenas and Saint-Amour worthy of the reputation of great wines.

Today, the 12-hectare Domaine du Granit is spread over 4 Crus, with 9.5 ha producing Moulin-à-Vent from the best terroirs : ‘les Caves’, ‘la Rochelle’ and ‘les Vérillats’.

Since 1907, the domain has been created and has extended over the terroirs of the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. Philippe Guérin took over the domain in 1985, and widened it by buying vines over the emblematic terroir “Les Thorins”. Each wine is harvested by hand. They are harvested, vinified and bottled at the domain. “Family of wine producers for 3 generations, in true craftsman, we dedicate ourselves to vines and the wines.

Louis Boillot took over this small domain of 4 hectares in Moulin-à-Vent in 2013. From the Beaujolais region, he wanted to go back to its roots. The vineyard is composed of old vines plots over different climats of the appellation. 

“We are working on the gamay the exact same way that we are working on our Burgundian pinot noir”, he explained. Each plot is vinified separetly in a “classic” style to express each difference of theirs terroirs. 

Their story started in January 1987 when they took over an ancient domain at La Roche Vineuse. This is where they decided to settle and work because they love this place and they believe that making really good wine here by respecting the vines essentials is possible. 

Tillage and harvest are made by hand. In the cellar, they use long pressing in whole clusters, with fermentation and ageing in oak barrels. 

Their values are always getting to the point, being innovative, living in harmony with the seasons, and sharing their passion. Today, with their children, they want to keep this humain-size domain and take the time to pass down their know-how. 

“Within the word ‘domaine’, we find ‘main’, meaning ‘hand’ in French. The hand symbolises work, dexterity and identity. It also gives care, contact and sharing, accompanied by a mind constantly in motion.

Jean-Claude, Marcel, Paul and myself: craftsmen from the outset. Our hands are the raw material of our winegrowing profession, just as grapes are the raw material of wine.

At our domain, these two materials have been in contact unceasingly; they remind us of the past, anchor us to the reality of the present and launch us towards the future.”

– Eric Janin

“I created this vineyard in 2007 by taking over this 3 ha estate of old vines between 40 and 80 years old and I vinify representative wines of this Moulin-à-Vent unique terroir.

Today, my 10-hectare vineyard is 100% farmed organically. I create Moulin-à-Vent wines from very specific origins; my purpose is to reveal Moulin-à-Vent’s minerality and finesse of aromas.”

– Richard Rottiers

Composed of a family of five Paul and Danielle Lardet, Delphine, Jocelyn and Stéphane, the Maison take absolute care to bring the best to the soil. “Le Nid” or “The Nest” is the symbol of unity and overwhelming desire to preserve it. 

Sustainable agriculture is practiced and all the work is done by hand on the 12 terroirs. 2 of them “La Rochelle” and “Rochegrès” benefit from a single vineyard cuvée with ageing in oak barrels. Bottling is made at the domain. 

The first plots were bought in 2008 and the first vintage was producted in 2009. The same working methods as the Nuits Saint Georges estate were reproduced : plowing in, chemicals out. From the 1st year, ll the plots were converted into organic farming and biodynamics.

The work undertaken in the vines aims to awaken the soils and to reveal the terroirs. Vines roots are going in-depth where they source the very identity of the soil. The berries are impacted, of course : each terroir can reveal itself in each one of the 6 cuvées produced by the domain.