Château de Béru

The origins of Château de Béru date back to the 11th century, when Cistercian monks settled on this Chablis hillside. Today, Athénaïs de Béru is responsible for this vineyard - probably the oldest in Burgundy - covering some 5 hectares. The vines were replanted by her father in the 1980s. When she returned to the estate, she and her team applied the principles of biodynamic viticulture. The objective is apparently simple: to ensure that each plot finds its own balance through biodynamic viticulture. Observation of living organisms, the use of preparations, herbal teas and essential oils and, above all, years of hard work have enabled her to achieve this goal. Terroir and vintage are the two watchwords of the domaine. The Chardonnays produced here are then vinified with as few inputs as possible, without this becoming a dogma; certain cuvées that must are lightly sulfited. Athénaïs prefers to play around with harvest dates, pressing cycles or entonnage to match the spirit of the vintage. Some wines are aged in vats (the Aligotés, for example), while others spend several months in wood (notably some Chablis). Athénaïs also offers a number of wines through its négociant network, mainly from the Yonne and Burgundy regions.