Grand Terroir de Brouilly

After seven centuries, Château des Tours is still there, in the middle of the Beaujolais countryside. Over the years, women and men have served their terroir, meticulously working to perfect their elixir with nuances of character and scent. First, admire how the wine moves in the glass and then you may taste it and be transported to the heart of Brouilly!

In the Heart of Brouilly

Beaujolais is located just below the southern tip of Burgundy wine country. North of Lyon, city of lights and capital of gastronomy, Beaujolais is home to 10 crus, including the largest of them, Brouilly, a few kilometers from Mâcon. You then have to go up the alley of walnut trees to arrive at Château des Tours and discover this splendid, perfectly renovated property, built over 700 years ago. There is no doubt that its architecture recalls the villages bordering the oh-so-famous land of golden stones that is the Beaujolais. This lively and luminous area is home to stone constructions in various warm and sunny shades of yellow ochre.

At Château des Tours, 50 hectares of the vineyard are in Brouilly. Twenty additional hectares are nearby, in the town of Saint-Lager. Our priority is to respect nature and its biodiversity so that the terroir can reveal itself through an intense interpretation of Gamay.

In the heart of Brouilly, Château des Tours is part of the current dynamism of developing the Beaujolais wine-growing terroirs, in particular through plot selections highlighting ancestral soils and know-how.

Sébastien Kargul, Director of the Château des Tours.

Rarely has the Château des Tours carried its name so well!

The original castle, likely rebuilt several times, dates back to the 10th century. It was undoubtedly built on the remains of a Roman villa as we found a vase filled with Roman coins when demolishing an old wall of the castle.

Today, it remains flanked by two majestic towers: the first, cylindrical and known as “Saracen,” was erected in the 12th century. It continues to dominate the entire region.
The second tower, which is square and lower, is also older, dating back to the Merovingian dynasty.

1331: Guichard VI le Grand, Lord and Baron of Beaujolais, is the first known owner of the Château des Tours: which he bought in 1331. And so began seven centuries of history, during which many owners succeeded each other, making their own contribution to the building. The Beaujeau and De La Chaize d’Aix were particularly influential owners.

Ideally located near the main communication routes, the Château des Tours was a notable center for trade starting in the 15th century, and an important fair was held there each year.

Today this fortress continues to watch over 70 hectares of vines dedicated exclusively to the Brouilly appellation. The Richard family completely renovated the estate following its acquisition in 1986.

Sources: “History of Beaujolais” P LOUVET – “The Historic Castles of Lyonnais and Beaujolais” SALOMON