Why it matters
The producer
Château Thivin is recognized as the oldest wine growing estate in Mont Brouilly. The Geoffray family has maintained it across consecutive generations. Hand picking and hands on vinification shape the estate's wines, with the work intended to reflect their terroir.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The estate's primary vineyards are in the Côte de Brouilly and Brouilly crus. The Côte de Brouilly parcels for Les Sept Vignes lie on the east, south and west flanks of Mont Brouilly, with each plot bringing a different orientation or position on the slope.
The ground is dominated by blue stone, or metadiorite. Higher plots are stonier, while those near the foot of the hill are more clayey, giving the blend fruit from different ground conditions.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range includes Côte de Brouilly cuvées with different parcel and élevage choices. Les Sept Vignes is a blended wine from distinct parcels on Mont Brouilly. It is made primarily from Gamay noir with some Chardonnay. Part of the fruit is vinified in whole bunches, and the wine is matured in oak tuns, the large oak vessels also called foudres.
Cuvée Zaccharie is the only Côte de Brouilly cuvée aged in barrels with limited new oak, while all other cuvées are done in foudres.