The Single Guyot pruning method is used for the Chardonnay. This method consists of leaving a long fruiting cane with 8-10 buds on. This cane is known as the "baguette" on which the fruiting shoots will grow in the springtime. The other cane is known as the "courson" and has only 2 buds which will be used as the fruiting cane the following year.

Climate and terroir


The Beaujolais region enjoys a semi-continental temperate climate characterised by hard winters (although rarely with extreme cold) and hot and dry summers. The vines face mainly south and south-east and are therefore protected from the westerly winds and enjoy prolonged sunshine from spring to autumn due to a slight Mediterranean influence. Some vineyards stand out because of their topography, altitude or highly specific soil-type; in these specific cases that we refer to "microclimates".

The Beaujolais soils are rich in schist and granite. The concentration of granite is particularly dense in the northern part of the region where we find the 10 Beaujolais Crus. To the south the soil is mainly made up of clay-limestone sedimentary deposit. These are poor stony soils.

There are 4 main classifications of soil:

Granite and sand (primary soils) forming acidic, sandy soils which are poor in clay. These thin, filtering soils are found in the Beaujolais-Villages vineyards but also in the Chiroubles appellation.

Crystalline and mineral-rich soils (iron, potassium, manganese) which give some wines a certain characteristic. The soils of the Morgon appellation are made-up of blue-green rocks rich in Manganese.

Jurassic soils (secondary soils), which are stony and calcareous allowing coolness and moisture. These shallow and stony soils are present in the Beaujolais appellation.

The tertiary and quaternary soils differ from those listed before because of their lack of limestone and deep clay. These soils are also found in many of the Beaujolais AOC appellations.


Grape Varieties


Gamay:

The only varietal used for red wines in the Beaujolais is Gamay which takes its name from a small village in the Côte d'Or. This early budding varietal is characterized by its compact bunches of black-skinned, white-juiced grapes. The resulting wines are delicate, round and very fruity with an elegant bouquet. Beaujolais, land of preference for this varietal, represents 70% of all the Gamay planted in the world. There is also Gamay planted in small quantities in other regions of France like in the Loire Valley and in other countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Canada and California.

Chardonnay:

Only 600 hectares of Chardonnay are planted in the Beaujolais region representing less than 3% of all grapes grown in the area. To the north the vineyards lie mainly on granite and flint soils and to the south-west on clay-limestone soils, this terroir produces a Chardonnay of great finesse, revealing notes of white flowers and acacia on the nose and yellow fruits, notably mirabelle plums, in the mouth.

Viticulture


In the Beaujolais the plantation density is one of the highest in the world with 7,000 to 13,000 vines per hectare. The authorised yields are limited to 52hl/ha for the 10 Crus, Beaujolais-Villages and Beaujolais appellations and to 70hl /ha for white Beaujolais.

In the Beaujolais the non-supported Gobelet pruning method is used. The vines are pruned short and low to the ground leaving only 3-5 arms with 8 buds per vine, the goal being to reduce the yields. Particular attention should be paid to the pruning so as to achieve greater resistance and improved longevity of the vine.

The work done in the Beaujolais vineyards all year long is very labour-intensive due to the high density of the plantations, the steep sloping vineyards and the pruning method used. The harvest is all done by hand by almost 35,000 harvesters who come to the region every year for between 15 to 20 days. The aim is to protect this fragile varietal by handling it with the utmost care and attention; it goes without saying therefore that harvesting machines are forbidden.

Although there are many schools of thought on the vinification in the Beaujolais, Henry Fessy has remained faithful to the traditional method which favours the balance between the seductive fruit-forwardness and the supple tannins which guarantee good ageing capability.

The harvest is done manually for all the Crus allowing the grapes to be sorted first at the vine therefore limiting damage to the fruit. If necessary, a second sorting will be carried out once the grapes have arrived at the winery. This will be accompanied by a partial de-stemming and then fermentation on the skins for approximately a week.

The length of the fermentation depends considerably on the vintage. Alcoholic fermentation will then be followed systematically by the malolactic fermentation. The wines will then age in vat for between 7-10 months before being bottled the following spring.

The distribution of the Beaujolais production is split into 3 categories; Beaujolais (red and white) with a surface area of 8,289 hectares, Beaujolais-Villages with a surface area of 5,796 ha, and the Crus with 6,198 ha in surface area. (source Inter Beaujolais, 2007)

Although there are only 20,000 hectares in the Beaujolais region, there are more than 2800 domains of which the average surface area per domain is barely 7 hectares. This extreme division of land, along with the added factors of tenant farming and sharecropping severely limit direct sales from the property which account for only 17% of marketed volumes.

Today 18 co-operatives and 160 négociants sell the majority of the total production of which 40% is exported.
The main export markets by volume and value are as follows: