Wine-growers from father to son for over two centuries, we cultivate the 18,2ha of the Estate’s vineyards in the greatest respect for tradition.
They are spread across 5 communes neighbouring Juliénas: Jullié, Chénas, La Chapelle-de-Guinchay, Leynes, and Saint-Amour. The various plots are at varying distances from the Estate, from 2 to 15 km.
the unique Gamay grape variety, for producing the Beaujolais wines.
This is a grape variety appreciated for the finesse and fruitiness it gives the wine. It’s when it is grown on granitic terroirs that the Gamay gives the best results.
This is why the Beaujolais hills have been planted with Gamay, while the slopes of Burgundy are planted with Pinot Noir. The wines produced express aromas that are spicy (peony, pepper) and very fruity (red fruits, blackcurrant, raspberry, boiled sweets, and also cherry).
The Chardonnay grape variety from the nearby Mâcon wine region is used to produce the Estate’s Beaujolais White.
It gives wines of great finesse with aromas that are floral, fruity, with hints of citrus, but also almond, cinnamon, mango, and vanilla.
It’s by far the best-known and most-liked grape variety in the world. It is a very good reflection of the terroir of La Jacarde, which lies between the Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint Véran appellations.
The Estate tries to conserve the nature surrounding it, adhering to the objective of reducing chemical weed-killing, replacing it by grassing between the rows of vines or by mechanical tilling of the soil.
The company is also trying to reduce as far as possible the use of treatment chemicals, as part of reasonable agriculture.
The Estate is working on restructuring the vineyard by favouring planting and pruning methods that are easier to mechanise than those used by our grandparents, while recognising the work they accomplished.
We take care of the vines all year round in order to ensure a good Harvest.
During the grape harvests, the grapes are picked by hand and transported without delay to the vat room, where the reds are in part vinified in whole bunches.
The maceration lasts 15–20 days, in gridded vats depending on the wine. For the Chardonnay, vinification takes place in temperature-controlled vats at low temperature (16°C), in order to extract a maximum of aromas. The Estate’s wines are matured in vats, in demi-muid barrels, and/or in casks (for the ‘Grande Réserve’ wine).
Green harvesting is performed if necessary, particularly on the youngest vines that are still too productive; bearing in mind that the pruning and disbudding are in any case severe. Picking takes place when the grapes have reached the highest ripeness possible, starting with the early plots of Chénas.
Today, the Granger Estate is the only one using this, and one of the few in France to use a former church building for its wine-making.
Vinification is traditional, performed using either whole bunches or 70% de-stemmed, with 15–20 days’ maceration (the duration varies according to the particular wine) in gridded vats from which the juice is racked off, then we fit grids to stabilize the grapes, then we re-introduce the juice from the top, so that the grapes are totally immersed.
The Chardonnay is vinified at low temperature in temperature-controlled vats, so as to extract a maximum of aromas from it.
