Meet the "
"—Winemakers Committed to Sustainable Development
, of the Champ-Renard Estate

Located in Blacé, just 15 minutes from Villefranche-sur-Saône, the Château de Champ-Renard and its 18th-century vineyard offer a comprehensive wine tourism experience, as well as fine, eco-friendly red and white wines produced in its authentic Beaujolais cellar.

We invite you to explore our vineyard and meet its manager, Denis Garnier, co-owner of the château, who carries on the tradition of winemakers committed to sustainable development.

Champ-Renard: A Committed Winery

When Fabienne Vilain and Denis Garnier, an entrepreneurial couple, acquired the Champ-Renard estate in 2014, this former medieval castle and its vineyard had been gradually neglected by its previous owner, but they saw the potential of this historic site, which they intended to restore to its former glory by transforming it into an exceptional eco-friendly destination.

Denis Garnier, who comes from a family of chefs and master chocolatiers, embarked on this adventure with passion, determined to restructure the vineyard in the most responsible way possible—not only for the sake of the environment, but also for the benefit of consumers and those involved in producing the château’s wines. He thus took an interest in various approaches to sustainable agriculture andagroforestry (the set of practices in which trees are integrated into the production environment to promote biodiversity) and, step by step over the years, developed the approach and philosophy of the Champ-Renard estate.

“Truth is built through lived experience,” explains Denis Garnier. “We were deeply convinced that we had to find our own path through personal exploration of the entire creative process. First, we read, learned, and listened. Traditional viticulture, sustainable viticulture, Terra Vitis, organic viticulture, biodynamics, vegan practices—or perhaps a specific, unconventional personal approach? We heard it all, and every winemaker had their own absolute truth—a claim that most often called into question the paths taken by others by highlighting the differences.”

A long process to revitalize the vineyard in a responsible manner

This long journey—made all the more difficult by the fact that the couple was starting the vineyard from scratch—led to a comprehensive assessment of the vineyard. They then realized that, due to a lack of maintenance in previous years, some of the vines would be lost. Their goal at that point was to save as many as possible.

They then accepted their supplier’s action plan, which proposed managing the vineyard using traditional viticultural methods so that it could be revitalized by 2016. “No harvest in 2015 was the price we had to pay to allow [the vines] to recover. The treatment plan proposed by our supplier was intensive—both in terms of the amount of products used and the number of times we had to treat the vines—but these treatments allowed us to save 1.1 hectares of vines,” recalls Denis Garnier.

As soon as this first phase is complete, the winegrowers begin to question the impartiality of their supplier. They start to reduce their use of chemicals and seek to adopt more natural practices.

They therefore decided to significantly reduce the use of sulfites (which cause many allergies and digestive problems) in the winemaking process and to consult an expert technician from the Rhône Chamber of Agriculture. He visits Champ-Renard every week to inspect the vineyard, monitor vine diseases, and recommend courses of action, including a few rare, targeted (and therefore limited) treatments when absolutely necessary. The château’s first vintage was released that same year, in 2016.

Certifications and Commitment to Biodiversity for High-Quality Wines

As committed winemakers, Fabienne Vilain and Denis Garnier have been working since 2018 to obtain the Terra Vitis label, a certification that promotes a comprehensive approach respectful of both the environment and human health, taking into account every stage of production from the vineyard to bottling. This certification allows them to further limit the use of treatments and eliminate the most harsh chemicals.

“As soon as we began the Terra Vitis program, we supplemented it by establishing ground cover in all our vineyards and planting green manure crops, which enrich the soil while promoting biodiversity,” explains Denis Garnier. “Ladybugs, bees, and praying mantises were back!”

As part of this ongoing effort, they earned HVE3 certification in 2019, which focuses on environmental management and the promotion of biodiversity (such as hedges, meadows, and trees in the surrounding area).

And since the château’s wines have never contained any animal-derived ingredients, the owners decided to pursue EVE Vegan certification so that their wines would be officially certified as vegan.

The Champ-Renard estate is currently in the process of converting to organic farming. When asked about the château’s philosophy, Denis Garnier replies that it is about “always reducing what is not natural” and “taking risks with our annual production, while respecting the very essence of the final product: taste and quality,” but above all, it is a “path where humans are placed at the center of their ecosystem through their choices and decisions.”

Château de Champ-Renard offers wine-tasting workshops and activities focused on exploring wines, as well as private tours of its cellar and its eco-friendly vineyard in the Beaujolais region.

The château’s wines are available for purchase online.

Meet the ""—Winemakers Committed to Sustainable Development, of the Champ-Renard Estate

Champ-Renard: A Committed Winery

A long process to revitalize the vineyard in a responsible manner

Certifications and Commitment to Biodiversity for High-Quality Wines

Meet the "
"—Winemakers Committed to Sustainable Development
, of the Champ-Renard Estate