Frédéric Berne, winemaker
Frédéric Berne, a winemaker who has been based in Lantignié since 2014, set up his domaine on a sharecropping basis with 4 hectares of Château des Vergers vines. Today, he farms 15 hectares organically, mainly in the communes of Lantignié in beaujolais-villages, but also in the morgon, chiroubles and régnié crus.
supported in production by his brother Cédric and in sales by Antoine Duplan, he offers a range of 10 wines, mainly reds, including a Beaujolais Nouveau, and soon his first Chardonnay-based white wines, vintage 2024.
Right from the start, Frédéric Berne undertook a major project to enrich the soil by adding organic matter from outside. Every winter, plant cover crops are sown to nourish the soil and regulate humidity. An agroforestry enthusiast, he replaces certain vines with trees, creating a beneficial ecosystem.
In 2017, Frédéric Berne founded the Vignerons et Terroirs de Lantignié association to initiate recognition of the village as a Beaujolais cru. Lantignié's geological duality, between bluestone and granite, the altitude of the vines, its hillsides and its southeast exposure enable him to focus on the quality of the terroir and its future. The winegrowers who are members of the association wish to include an environmental component in their specifications, by banning the use of pesticides. In 2024, along with two other estates, he will plant 0.5 hectares of Souvignier Gris, a grape resistant to mildew and powdery mildew. This aromatic grape retains acidity, an important feature in this region where soils tend to lower it.
The estate is also developing its wine tourism activities. Organizing tastings and tours of the vineyards "directly promotes our work," says Frédéric Berne. People have a good time. Rather than doing trade shows, we prefer to receive people by appointment." A meeting not to be missed.
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