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Château Le Puy, a pioneer of natural wines in Bordeaux

A true pioneer of natural winemaking in Bordeaux, Château le Puy stands out for its unique terroir, its clean and committed viticultural practices, and its distinctive winemaking methods. Owned by the Amoreau family since 1610, the estate produces natural wines renowned worldwide for their depth, vitality and exceptional ageing potential.

Château Le Puy and its vineyards

A unique terroir

Situated atop the same rocky plateau of clay and asterite limestone as Saint-Émilion, overlooking the villages of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, Château Le Puy commands a view of the Dordogne valley, standing 107 metres above sea level and ranking as the second-highest geodetic point in the Gironde. This position, incidentally, gave the estate its name as far back as Roman times: the word ‘puy’ refers to an elevated place, a podium, or a mountain peak.

A natural approach, free from chemicals, since 1610

As far back as family memories and archives go, life at Château Le Puy has revolved around diversification, with viticulture at its heart. Our ancestors lived in near self-sufficiency in this secluded spot in the Gironde. Without realising it, they helped establish a permanent balance based on beneficial interactions between species: animals (insects, humans, horses, etc.) and plants (herbaceous plants, vines, forests, etc.) coexist here in a symbiotic relationship. Consequently, half of the land consists of forests, meadows or a pond.

Today, the estate is taking things a step further by planting certain types of shrubs, such as blackcurrant bushes and eleagnus, amongst the rows of vines. This practice, known as ‘agroforestry’, helps to enhance biodiversity. It also serves to create and maintain pollination corridors. Le Puy works across all areas to organise its biotope (living environment) as harmoniously as possible, incorporating the widest possible variety of flora and fauna, and developing and respecting all forms of life: using spring water for preparations, establishing an insectary…

A so-called ecosystem-based approach

The use of five horses ensures precise and gentle work around the vine roots, without compacting the soil as a tractor might. Ploughing is prohibited; the soil is lightly scarified on the surface so as not to damage the mycorrhizal network. The diversity of the vine plants is enhanced through the development of mass selection, and particular attention is paid to the plants’ root development by fostering microbial life in the soil.

Chemical fertilisers are prohibited, as are other synthetic products. The care given to the vines is mainly based on herbal teas or infusions. These include horsetail, alder buckthorn and nettle, for example, produced on site, as well as horn compost, in addition to certain biodynamic preparations. This care continues right up to the harvest, which is carried out entirely by hand. Furthermore, there is no green harvesting or leaf removal.

A family always on the lookout

This work, carried out in harmony with the environment, is underpinned by an early and committed environmental awareness. After the Second World War, Jean-Pierre’s father, Pierre-Robert Amoreau, was one of the first members of the ‘Nature & Progrès’ association. This association, comprising farmers and artisans and founded in 1964, was a pioneer of organic farming and biodynamics in France. At a time when environmental commitment was far from the norm, and could even provoke incomprehension or ridicule, Le Puy, on the contrary, consolidated its position as environmental protection organisations began to take shape.

Le Puy has thus successively obtained Ecocert (organic farming) and Demeter (biodynamic farming) certifications, for which Pascal Amoreau also helped draw up the specifications. Internationally, the estate is one of the few French wine-growing properties to have obtained organic certification from the Chinese government. Finally, this commitment also involves a constant focus on eco-responsible sourcing: prioritising domestic production, short supply chains and recyclable materials are central to its concerns.

The approach to the winery

Whilst the bulk of the work takes place in the vineyard, where most of the team is based, the approach to work in the winery is also quite different from that of neighbouring estates. The energy generated in the vineyard, and the trace elements absorbed by the vines and present in the grapes, must therefore be preserved throughout the ageing process and right up to bottling, to bring as much joy as possible.

Intervene as little as possible

At harvest time, the grapes are picked by hand using the ‘ciselage’ method, then destemmed, and stored in concrete vats. Fermentation begins using only indigenous yeasts, with no additives. The estate practises ‘infusion’ fermentation. The process begins, continues and ends without intervention. This method allows for gentle diffusion and better integration of the wine’s components, particularly the tannins. It imparts the texture, finesse and harmony so characteristic of Château Le Puy.

Once fermentation is complete, the wine is aged in oak barrels and casks. Red wines are aged for a minimum of two years. To ensure the wine is not overly influenced by the wood, the barrels are rarely replaced. The approach in the cellar is a continuation of that taken in the vineyards. Intervention during ageing is kept to a minimum, with no oenological additives used. All cleaning is carried out using steam from our spring water. Similarly, there is no external oenologist advising Le Puy; instead, a family committee makes decisions independently. To this end, the estate has its own analysis laboratory, capable of monitoring the wines’ development and thus ensuring their impeccable quality right down to the glass of the discerning wine lover.

Boosting the wines’ defences

At Château Le Puy, a large number of wines are produced without the addition of sulphur. This practice has been mastered for decades. The family archives show that Barthélemy Amoreau, Jean Pierre’s great-grandfather, was already noting in his journals, as early as the 1870s, his thoughts on the possibility of doing without sulphur. By ensuring a harvest of perfectly healthy grapes, the future wines are better equipped to protect themselves. To help strengthen their defences, these wines are fortified several times a week, following a lunar calendar established empirically over generations.

‘Dynamisation’ is a method of stirring the lees unique to Château Le Puy. It is carried out to enhance the wine’s vitality, accentuate its depth and texture, and protect the wine. This process is performed by hand. Once bottled, all our wines are waxed. By adhering to the cork, this wax—made from pine resin—ensures better preservation and prevents the growth of bacteria or fungi. Whilst remaining sufficiently porous so as not to impede the air exchange necessary for the wine’s natural ageing…

Proven durability

The buildings at Château Le Puy have not changed much since the days of our ancestors. The estate has not succumbed to the siren call of excessive technology. The cellars are therefore not temperature-controlled, allowing the wines to ‘live’ and experience certain temperature fluctuations. They also retain these variations in their memory. The wines’ robustness is well known: wine dating back over a century has been preserved in the family cellar.

History of Château Le Puy in Bordeaux

1610

The earliest known Amoreau ancestors

The earliest known Amoreau ancestors, who lived at Le Puy, date back to 1610. The family already lived there, as well as at Coussillon, situated 400 metres away. At the time, viticulture and the cultivation of red wheat were the family’s main sources of income; they also lived in near-self-sufficiency through mixed farming. For several generations, a supplementary trade was necessary for the families’ well-being. Thus, among our ancestors we find a blacksmith, a weaver and even a cooper. But the passion for wine, passed down through the centuries by our forebears, with each generation bringing a new dimension to the tradition, remains the driving force of our family.

1640

The introduction of animal-drawn transport

Introduction of animal-drawn transport to the Puy region. Oxen were introduced to assist men with their work in the vineyards.

1700

Plant-based fertiliser is making its debut

The first use of agricultural fertiliser – manure – for soil enrichment.

1735

Furthering knowledge

The Amoreau family are honing their technical expertise in the bespoke crafting of French oak barrels.

1830

New choices and a new home

The decision was made to adopt a new method of pruning the vines to a greater height, in order to better protect them from harsh winter conditions. Work also began on building a new family home, the building that still houses the Le Puy team today.

1868

Is sulphur essential for viticulture?

Barthélemy Amoreau (Jean Pierre’s great-grandfather), a renowned winemaker of undisputed experience and expertise, questions the need to use sulphur as an antioxidant to preserve the wines he produces.

1921

A new grape-harvesting technique

The wines are now produced from grapes that have been 100% destemmed using the Coq destemmer.

1924

The rejection of any form of chemical control

In the aftermath of the First World War, Jean Amoreau (Pascal’s great-grandfather) refused to use chemicals, and the Le Puy vineyards continued to thrive without any artificial or additional inputs other than agricultural fertiliser.

1932

The digger

Pierre-Robert Amoreau, Adrien’s great-great-grandfather and a keen botanist, worked alongside his father-in-law Armand to design the first cultivator for shallow tillage. This new tool proved to be gentler on the soil’s ecosystem, allowing the soil to be aerated without deep ploughing.

1944

A talented winemaker

Paule Amoreau, wife of Pierre-Robert and mother of Jean Pierre, with the men away serving in the army, vinified the harvest just as she had done since the start of the war. A great vintage for Le Puy: ‘A beautiful deep coffee colour. On the nose, aromas of sweet fruit and smoked almonds. Firm on the palate with a lingering aftertaste. An elegant and generous finish. A wine of a grand dame that evokes a wonderful sense of nostalgia.”

1964

The earliest references to organic farming

Le Puy became one of the first Bordeaux estates to be certified for organic wine production (a founding member of Nature & Progrès, a pioneering association in the promotion and development of organic farming in France) and to manually protect the bottle corks with a wax coating. This process, still used today on all our bottles, helps to limit the exchange of oxygen between the inside and outside of the bottle, which causes the wine to age prematurely, whilst extending the lifespan of the cork.

1970

Building an ecosystem in Le Puy

Aware of the harmful effects of monoculture, sections of vineyard are being cleared to create pockets of biodiversity (ponds, woodland, orchards, meadows, etc.) all around the vines, transforming the estate into a truly diverse ecosystem – a practice now known as ‘agroforestry’.

1990

First vintages with no added sulphur

Jean Pierre and Pascal are working to produce wines with no added sulphur, building on the pioneering ideas of their ancestor Barthélemy from 1868, and are expanding the family’s philosophy to include new aspects drawn from the so-called biodynamic method.

1994

The birth of ‘Barthélemy’

This marks the release of the first vintage of Barthélemy, named in honour of our ancestor. It is produced exclusively from grapes grown on the historic ‘Les Rocs’ plot, with no added sulphur, and matured using dynamisation. Le Puy is the first estate to introduce dynamisation both in the vineyards and during maturation in the cellar.

1996

The origins of the first white wines

The family purchased plots of Sémillon vines that were used to produce sweet white wines in the pre-phylloxera era. Today, these plots yield the Marie-Cécile and Marie-Élisa wines. These vines are now over 70 years old.

2006

The return of the bees

Pascal Amoreau is reintroducing bees to the estate following their elimination by Asian hornets.

2008

The horse is making its official return to the estate

After several years of experimenting with working the land using horses, Jean Pierre and Pascal Amoreau have reintroduced animal traction to the vineyard for soil cultivation. They have thus welcomed the first horses to the estate, Théo and Spirou, who join the cows that have been there since the beginning.

2008

The manga *Les Gouttes de Dieu* pays tribute to Le Puy

The Japanese manga phenomenon *The Drops of God* has reached Le Puy. Its television adaptation has crowned the 2003 Émilien vintage as the world’s finest wine in front of millions of viewers.

2008

Four centuries of the same family

Le Puy is celebrating 400 years of passing down the art of viticulture within the family. Fourteen generations of the Amoreau family have worked the land without ever using a single synthetic product.

2008

Sensitive crystallisation: learn more about wine

Le Puy commissions sensitive crystallisation analyses of its Emilien and Barthélemy wines.

2011

First carbon footprint assessment of a vineyard

Le Puy is the first wine estate to have commissioned a carbon footprint assessment from Ecocert, enabling it to evaluate the overall impact of its activities in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. The results show that, by absorbing more CO₂ than we emit, we are doing our bit to save the planet by slowing down global warming.

2014

Le Puy is developing its own analytical tools

Harold Langlais joins the Le Puy family. An in-house laboratory is set up following the purchase of an IRTF machine to carry out the essential on-site analyses of the wine at the estate, thereby ensuring impeccable quality.

2015

China recognises organic farming methods in Le Puy

The first French estate to be certified organic by the Chinese government.

2016

The shift to permaculture

Following in the footsteps of their forebears, Jean Pierre, Pascal and Steven – Valérie’s husband – are establishing the estate within the ecosystem more commonly known as permaculture. They are therefore working to reduce tillage and increase ground cover.

2019

Reintroduction of heritage grape varieties

In order to counter the impact of climate change on the alcohol content of their wines, Jean Pierre and Pascal Amoreau are reintroducing old grape varieties such as Counoise, Grolleau, Chenanson, Len de l’Ei and Castets. That year also saw the arrival of Goulue, the estate’s fifth horse.

2020

Reducing the impact on water resources

Measures are being implemented on the estate to reduce its water footprint: thanks to the three springs flowing across the estate and the installation of a natural collection and filtration system (ram pump, reeds, etc.), Le Puy aims to be self-sufficient, operating independently of the traditional water supply system for all its agricultural and winery needs.

2020

Creating pollination pathways

To complement the ecosystem established in the 1970s, Jean Pierre, Pascal and Adrien Amoreau created an insect habitat and pollination corridors by planting plants (blackcurrant, viburnum, and eleagnus) amongst the vine rows. These pollination corridors, inspired by agroforestry, connect the vines to the various areas of biodiversity around the plateau, thereby boosting the insect population.

2021

Towards the end of copper treatments

The family is partnering with the University of Geneva to develop a system of terminals that will eventually enable the reduction or even elimination of copper-based treatments.

A few photos of Château Le Puy

Château le Puy
Château le Puy
Château le Puy
Chateau-le-Puy
Château le Puy
Château le Puy

(Source: Château le Puy)