CHATEAU DE BÉRU
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CHABLIS, Burgundy
It’s hard to imagine a family more entrenched in a specific place than the Béru family. For 400 years they have lived in the valley of Béru, presiding over the stately Chateau de Béru, cultivating vines on the hill of Béru with their best wines coming from the famed Clos Béru. Continuing and improving upon her family’s legacy, Athénaïs de Béru hefts the weight of centuries of tradition with grace and enthusiasm. In many ways the Béru story is familiar: famous crus, a fancy building, centuries of history revitalized as a new generation introduces biodynamic farming and reclaims natural winemaking. You’ve heard this one right? There is no single hook or gimmick that individuates these wines: what separates a Béru Chablis from all other Chablis is that it is a Béru Chablis. The wine is simply astounding with that timeless, gleaming beauty that has made Chablis one of the most legendary white wines the world over. In recent years Athénaïs has diversified with an impressive negoce portfolio and 'Zero' accompaniments to their classic wines bottled without added sulfite.
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PRODUCTS
TERROIRS DE BÉRU​
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This is the introductory wine for the estate, ‘Terroirs’ is a blend of grapes from across the family’s 15 hectares made with the same care and attention to detail but less terroir specificity than the 'cru' wines.
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ORANGERIE
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Nearest to the Clos Béru, Orangerie is a dainty, cloistered parcel surrounded by an ancient orchard of fig, apple and pear trees. At 350 meters above sea level, ‘Orangerie’ is flatter than the other ‘cru’ sites with unusually clayey soils that imbue an aromatic richness and permit curious roots to eke out the intensity of the deep limestone subsoils where they acquire the typical mineral edge of Chablis.
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CÔTE AUX PRÊTRES
The slope leading up to Montserre is very windy and marked by extremely salty limestone punctuated with small Kimmeridgian stones. The parcel wraps the hill and the vines here produce tiny, concentrated berries.
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MONTSERRE ​
The name of the plot alludes the sharply defined fossilized soils that typify the place. The vines here are perched on the literal top of the hill of Béru at 400 meters, the highest vines in all of Chablis. This is the most extreme site in terms of pure limestone soils and altitude producing wines of more pronounced intensity typified by a tannic and smokey character.
CLOS BÉRU​
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The heart of the Cheateau de Béru production comes from a 5 hectare plot in the southern part of the Béru valley surrounded by a 13th century wall. The elevation tops out at around 300 meters so the parcel is a bit lower than its less famed siblings. Clay and limestone soils with plenty of fossilized oyster shells from 150 million years ago. The vines are pruned rigorously in order to keep the yields low and produce wines of greater depth and character.
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ORANGERIE 'ZERO'​
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Zero sulfite added bottling from the Orangerie cru. The zero sulfur wines are not determined beforehand but selected by tasting from barrel, choosing the base wines with the correct balance and character to bloom without the need of added protection.
CÔTE AUX PRÊTRES 'ZERO'
Zero sulfite added bottling from the Côte aux Prêtres cru. The zero sulfur wines are not determined beforehand but selected by tasting from barrel, choosing the base wines with the correct balance and character to bloom without the need of added protection.
MONTSERRE ​'ZERO'
Zero sulfite added bottling from the Montserre cru. The zero sulfur wines are not determined beforehand but selected by tasting from barrel, choosing the base wines with the correct balance and character to bloom without the need of added protection.