House of Chevran

Beaujolais, France

Beaujolais is located in the southern part of Burgundy in eastern France, and is characterized by gentle hills and a mild climate. This region is widely known for "Beaujolais Nouveau", which is released in the fall.

Beaujolais, as a wine-producing region, is famous for producing red wine, mainly using Gamay grapes. Beaujolais wine is characterized by a light and fruity taste, and Nouveau in particular is sometimes shipped just a few weeks after brewing, allowing you to enjoy fresh fruitiness and refreshing acidity.

Beaujolais also has high-quality wines produced in ten specific villages or districts called Crus. these are It is more complex and has better aging potential, pleasing the palate of any wine lover.

The Chevran family's domain and vineyards

The Chevran family's domaine is located about 35km west of Lyon city center, in the hills at the southwestern edge of the Beaujolais region, overlooking the 1,000m-high Lyonnais Mountains to the south and beautiful villages lined with buildings made of ochre-colored limestone, earning the area the nickname "the country of golden stone" to the north.

This area has been cultivated with grapes since ancient times, and an important Roman road passed through it about 2000 years ago. Excavations of the ruins have revealed numerous remains of settlements. In fact, right next to the Chevran family's vineyard is a road that is said to have been used by the Roman Emperor Caesar.

The current owner, François, has been a wine farmer since his grandfather's time, and his family has been growing grapes for at least five generations.

François, who was teaching at a local agricultural high school at the time, decided to take over the Domaine when his father retired. His wife Marie-Thérèse was a career woman who worked in a senior position at a research institute while raising three daughters. She also decided to retire in the 1990s to focus on her family and winemaking.

The name of Chevron's domaine, "Cle de Vine", expresses his deep passion for producing wine using organic farming methods.

The Chevrans' house is located in a place called "bine." This is an old word that comes from the verb "biner," which means "to cultivate the surface of the soil." Cultivating the soil is exactly what the Chevrans practice in their organic farming. The domaine is also located on a steep slope called a "cret." This 400m high hill has apparently become gentler over the course of many, many years.

When naming their domaine, Chevron and his team decided to use the word "CRET de BINE", which reflects the history of the land and what they are currently practicing.

Organic history : Certified since 2010

The catalyst for the Chevrans' conversion to organic farming was meeting a friend who practices biodynamic farming in the south of France. Impressed by the wines his friend made, which reflected the characteristics of the land (terroir) and were excellent in both quality and taste, they decided to simultaneously obtain EU organic certification and Demeter, a biodynamic certification. This was no easy task, and it was a big, courageous decision for François and his team.

Organic winemaking is fraught with difficulties, such as disease and poor harvests, and the lack of use of herbicides and pesticides means more physical work.

But despite all these difficulties, the Chevrans say they love their job growing grapes and making wine organically. They are truly proud of the fact that they produce wines that are concentrated in the natural way, without using any chemicals.

・White grapes : Gamay

・Black grapes: Chardonnay

Field soil

The soil of Chevran's fields has been revived by organic and biodynamic practices. In the fields where many plants and insects such as earthworms coexist, humus has formed and the color has changed to amber, which is clearly visible. The roots of the grapes spread deep into the soft, cultivated soil, and the characteristics of the land are reflected in the finished wine.

The field is 8 hectares in size, but only 6 hectares are actually in operation. This allows us to carefully and thoroughly practice biodynamic farming methods, working within the optimal range.

Soil It is made of granite, which is rich in minerals.

Characteristics of brewing method

The grapes are of course hand-picked, and the brewing process uses the traditional Beaujolais semi-carbonic maceration method, the same as that used by Doat (now out of production), Mavi's long-time partner in the production of Beaujolais Nouveau.

This is an old-fashioned method that takes more time and effort than the maceration achau (a method of applying heat to extract color, etc.) used in the cheap and widely available Beaujolais Nouveau. At Chevran's Domaine, the process is carried out slowly at low temperatures, not exceeding 25°C.

The yeast is home-grown, of course, and no commercial yeast is used. We also do not add sulfur dioxide to control fermentation during brewing, only blowing in a small amount of gas when bottling.

Chevron's Beaujolais is carefully made using traditional methods, resulting in a wonderful wine that allows you to truly experience the characteristics of the vineyards.

The taste of the wine you want

The wine that Chevran aims to produce is, of course, one that makes the most of the characteristics of the vineyard (terroir).

The wines made from grapes grown on mineral-rich granite fields have a well-balanced finish with clean acidity and a unique minerality. Moreover, since they started practicing organic farming, these characteristics have become even more apparent in the wines.

From the producers to everyone in Japan

We believe that organic wine is the future of wine growing. It is not just about health, it is about environmental protection, and unlike wines that use various techniques, it allows us to provide our customers with wines that fully express their flavor characteristics.

We want to expand the market for organic wine. To achieve this, we need producers to be able to build relationships with importers directly, without going through large domestic middlemen. In that sense, we are very happy to be able to do business with Mavi, which is exactly what we want to achieve.

To everyone in Japan, please enjoy the wine we have made with such care. We have put all our effort into creating it so that you can fully experience our terroir. We would be delighted if you could let us know your impressions and thoughts after drinking it!