The Estate
Piron family
Family estate – For nearly 500 years
The story begun by Dominique Piron’s ancestors in the 16th century continues with the Domaine du Vieux Bourg, created in 2021. Dominique and his team cultivate the family’s 30 hectares of vines in the Morgon, Chénas, Régnié, Beaujolais-Villages and Beaujolais Blanc appellations.
“He chose Morgon because it wasn’t so far away.
For the record…
Some of the vines have been in the family for 5 centuries: the “Terrains Rouges”, “Roche Noire” and “Montpelain” lieux-dits in the Morgon cru. One of our ancestors, Benoit Bailly, was one of the first to use the new Briare canal, from the Loire to the Seine, opened in 1642, to deliver his wine to Paris. In 1932, Dominique’s great-grandfather, Benoit Piron, bought the vineyard at “Aux Pierres” on the south-eastern slope of the Côte du Py. Benoit had the choice of enlarging his vineyard between a 4 ha 60 property in Morgon for 90,000 francs at the time, and a 6 ha 50 property in Moret-Saint-Denis in Burgundy, called Le Clos de Tart, for 110,000 francs. This famous property was bought the same year by a wine merchant from Mâcon.
A historic site
Le Vieux Bourg
The Domaine du Vieux Bourg, just a stone’s throw from Morgon, is becoming a must-see in the Beaujolais region. This historic property comprises two buildings, the former Saint-Pierre de Corcelles church and its presbytery. In this church, Dominique Piron has installed his winery for the 2021 harvest. An atypical, yet simple winery where modern meets old stone, a winery with soul and energy.
Beyond this Beaujolais heritage, Vieux Bourg has always been a frontier. When Charlemagne’s Empire was divided in 843, it was part of the Frankish kingdom, while the Burgundian kingdom was 100 meters to the north. Much later, it was on the boundary of influence between the monks of Cluny to the north and the lords of Beaujeu to the south… and still today, at the meeting point of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Burgundy regions.
A beautiful wedding
Gamay and Granite
The Gamay Noir grape needs poor soil, especially granite, to express itself fully. A difficult grape variety, capricious and delicate, it produces modern, fruity wines with suppleness and roundness, wines that accompany most of the world’s cuisines and life’s moments. Depending on the terroir in which it is grown, Gamay has a formidable capacity to play on the register of fruit and elegance as well as that of substance and roundness, with great ageing potential. Genetically, Gamay is the son of Pinot Noir.
“Gamay and Chardonnay, everyday wines!”
Chardonnay and Clay
A little-known Beaujolais gem. Chardonnay produces excellent white wines in Beaujolais on the limestone southern part of the region, and on the clay islets in the north around the Crus zone. This is the case with our Clos du Vieux Bourg in Corcelles-en-Beaujolais. These are wines for moments of sharing and friendship.
Respect for the environment
Since 2020, our vineyards have been certified HVE – High Environmental Value. It’s a good first step towards ensuring that everyone in the company understands the environmental issues at stake: respect for water, soil, bees, ladybugs, neighbors…
