Château Pierre-Bise is a longtime Papin family estate in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, where Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are shaped by a patchwork of schist and volcanic soils. Since 1959 they’ve expanded to more than 50 hectares and built a reputation for wines that are clean, mineral, and tightly tied to place. Their approach to farming leans on biodiversity, full grass cover, and low-intervention methods inspired by synergistic agriculture, which they adopted well before it became common in the region. The focus on soil expression shows in their dry and sweet Chenin bottlings from Savennières, Coteaux du Layon, and Anjou, as well as in a small set of characterful reds. Low yields and patient vineyard work give the wines their clarity and tension, and many cuvées such as Le Haut de la Garde and Clos de Coulaine are now benchmarks for the area.
