The Domaine Pascal Granger is located in the hamlet of Les Poupets within the village of Juliénas in the heart of the Beaujolais. This estate has been in the Granger family for over two hundred years, dating to Napoleonic times, and has passed from father to son continually. With 23 ha of vineyard holdings in Juliénas, Jullié, Chénas, La Chapelle de Guinchay, Saint Amour, and Leynes, the domaine has access to some of the best-reputed sites in the region.
For over a century, the Granger family has been vinifying a portion of its wines in the Cellier de la Vieille Église, the former church in Juliénas, disused since 1868 and since owned by the Loron family. Vinification includes long cuvaisons driven by indigenous yeasts and maturation in foudres and demi-muids, which allows Beaujolais to speak clearly of its origin and develop over years in the cellar–a relative rarity in a region still driven by Beaujolais-Nouveau. While structured enough to age in the cellar, these wines are delicious in their youth and pair with multiple dishes from many cuisines.
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Treatments
Synthetic treatments when necessary, herbicide applied only at foot of vine, cover crops planted between rows
Ploughing
Annual working of the soil each autumn
Soils
Decomposed granite, schist, and sand
Vines
Gamay vines average 40 years old, with some up to 100 years old. Gamay is trained in Gobelet and planted at 10,000 vines/ha. Chardonnay is 25 years old, trained in Guyot, and planted at 8,000 vines/ha
Yields
Controlled through severe winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest on younger vines. Yields average 50-55 hl/ha
Harvest
Exclusively manual, usually in late September
Sourcing
Entirely estate fruit
Fermentation
After c. 70% destemming, red wines ferment with indigenous yeasts in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvasion lasts 15-20 days. White wine ferments with indigenous yeasts in stainless-steel tanks
Extraction
Immersed cap vinification, with occasional pumpovers for red wines
Chaptalization
Wines exported to the United States not de-acidified, acidified, or chaptalized
Pressing
Pneumatic pressing
Malolactic Fermentation
Spontaneous, in tank or barrel following alcoholic fermentation
Élevage
White wine spends 3 months in stainless-steel tanks. Red wines age 6-8 months in concrete tanks, foudres, and demi muids
lees
Wines remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling
Fining and Filtration
Unfined, diatomaceous earth filtration
sulfur
Applied at harvest, after malolactic, and at bottling. 15-18 mg/l free, 35 mg/l total
Optional caption text here lorem ipsum