Château de Lavernette

France
Beaujolais
lavernette.com

Château de Lavernette : 13th generation winemakers

The lands and house of Lavernette, located at the crossroads of the Mâconnais and Beaujolais in the municipalities of Chaintré and Leynes, have been owned by the family since 1596 and were acquired from the property of the monks of the Tournus Abbey. At that time, there was a small cellar called a “tinailler” containing two presses and four large vats, allowing for the production of a small quantity of wine for local consumption.

Subsequently, until 1988, the grapes from the estate were harvested and taken directly to the cooperative cellar. It was Bertrand de Boissieu, the 12th generation descendant of the Lavernette family, along with his wife Anke, who withdrew the family vineyards from the cooperative and reinstalled the old cellars to vinify and market the entire production of their vines themselves.

In 2007, the couple was joined by their son Xavier and his wife Kerrie. Xavier graduated from the Beaune viticultural high school in Viticulture & Enology and gained experience in various vineyards, traveling from New Zealand to California, where he met Kerrie, also a graduate in Viticulture & Enology from the University of Davis Extension and a triple champion at the California’s Best Sommelier competition. Together, they combine their personalities, experiences, and knowledge to produce high-quality wines.

Their estate comprises 13 hectares of vineyards, harvesting Chardonnay and Gamay to allow for the production of white, red, and sparkling wines across various appellations of Beaujolais and Burgundy. Most of their cuvées are produced from grapes pressed as whole clusters, resulting in complex wines with great aromatic power.

In order to respect the environment and bottle wines that are pure, natural, and imbued with their terroir, the vineyard has been cultivated using organic and biodynamic techniques since 2005 and obtained its AB and Demeter certifications in 2007.