Pavillon de Chavannes Cote de Brouilly Cuvee des Ambassades 2006

On the flanks of an extinct volcano, the Mont Brouilly, first planted by the Romans, our vineyard is situated in an exceptionally beautiful landscape of growing vines which many observers from the French novelist Colette to Pierre Salinger have found hightly attractive. The summit of the volcano belonged to the estate and part was donated for the construction of the Chapel Lady of Brouilly in the celebration of the victory over vine mildew by the Beaujolais.

The Lafond family whose head was a peer of the French realm and the adminsitrator of the Bank of France sold Chavannes to Pierre Jambon Chanrion in 1861 and it is his grandchildren who still run the vineyard. The Jambon family has often distinguished itself in winemaking since that time, most notably in the improvements its members made the Gamay grape of Burgundy and their perfecting of the techiniques for supporting growing vines on steep slopes.

The vines grow on blue granite soil, well exposed to sunlight over an area of a little over 40 acres. The type of vine is naturally the clear juiced Burgundy or Gamay black grape. Harvesting is manual, all impurities being removed (soil, leaves, unripe grapes). The winemaking process is carefully managed, fermentation temprature being monitored and pressing progremmed. The wine is matured in oak casks.