Château de la Chaize - Brouilly lieu-dit La Chaize 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

As announced in the previous issue, Château de la Chaize, previously owned by the Marquise de Roussy de Sales, has been acquired by Christophe Gruy and his Maïa Group. With 250 hectares of vineyards, including 99 hectares of Brouilly, Château de la Chaize is one of the finest estates in the Beaujolais region, and the new owner's ambition is to convert it to organic production. At the same time, extensive renovation work has been undertaken, in particular in the winery, whose outdated charm and organization were still a hindrance to the production of great wines. The first wines of the Maïa era are not yet born, but we would like to salute this colossal, visionary and courageous investment in a region that has every potential to shine. If the 2017s still lack substance and personality, the 2018s take a big step forward. Brûlhier is greedy and generous, and Combiliaty, with its granitic uprightness, already displays a certain elegance.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

Boris Gruy has extracted a stunning 2018 from this 3.5-hectare, mulberry-girdled vineyard dating back to 1676. After 18 months in tuns, it boasts an intense, complex nose of ripe black fruits, violets, undergrowth and pepper. The spicy, fruity notes are enhanced by a touch of licorice on the full, dense, ripe palate, with firm yet fine tannins that give this wine a lovely chewy texture. An intense, deep and impeccably clean Brouilly.

About the domain :

This Grand Siècle château, built in 1674 to plans by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, features gardens designed by André Le Nôtre. The vineyard is one of the largest in the Beaujolais region: it covers 300 hectares in a single block, 150 of which are in operation, with a parcel-by-parcel approach to wine-making. It was bought in 2017 by the Gruy family (Christophe and his nephew Boris, operations manager). Numerous projects are underway, including the transition to organic and biodynamic farming.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the domain :

The ambitious restoration of Château de La Chaize and its vineyards - including a transition to organic farming - continues, and the results are beginning to show in the glass. With these new developments, this property has immediately earned itself a place in my shortlist of domains to visit on my next tasting trip to Beaujolais.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

When Christophe Gruy bought this estate in 2017, he decided to wake up a sleeping beauty. A historic Brouilly property previously farmed by sharecroppers, La Chaize benefits from an owner who has now taken the measure: major investments have been undertaken in viticulture (replanting program and transition to organic), technology (the winemaking facilities are the subject of a pharaonic worksite) and human resources (Pierre-Jean Villa on board, Christophe's nephew winemaker Boris Gruy appointed manager) to raise the château's 150 hectares to their highest level. To crown it all, the new owner is planning "zero waste" production. The range is based on a gourmet, spontaneous style for the "petites" cuvées, and a serious, deep and controlled style for the parcellaires; its coherence has enabled the domaine to return to our guide. Beaujolais needs this kind of ambitious project, and we'll be keeping a close eye on it over the next few vintages.

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

This unique vineyard wine is rich and structured. With ripe black fruit and partial wood aging adding spice, the wine has density and further aging potential. Drink from 2022.

James Suckling

About the wine:

At once ripe, fresh and concentrated, this is an impressive Beaujolais, a modern Cru with lots of black cherry and violet aromas. The fine tannins support the rather smooth body (in the context of the very hot vintage) very well, and the spices on the long finish keep you coming back for more. Drink it or keep it.