DOMAINE DES COTEAUX D'OR

Situated in the Beaujolais region, this estate maintains a relationship with time that is perfectly in harmony with nature. Its owner does not force nature, but works alongside it. The cycles of the seasons, the vagaries of the weather, and the patience required to make a good wine are at the heart of his work. Alexandre Chavanne practises organic viticulture, guided by the belief that time and respect for living things take precedence over productivity.

This relationship with the long term, with letting go and with humility in the face of nature, directly echoes the poetic economy of Robert Filliou. In a place where one accepts that one cannot control everything, where one knows how to wait for things to ripen, the ‘Monnaie du Rien’ project takes on a very powerful meaning. There is a profoundly fitting sense of creative idleness and the value of nothingness amidst the vineyards.

In the heart of the Beaujolais region, the Domaine des Coteaux d’Or, a magnificent golden-stone building overlooking the hill of the hamlet of Graves, opens its doors to you for a wine tasting, a celebration or an exploration of the region in a 2CV. In 2003, upon purchasing the derelict estate, Alexandre Chavanne converted the vineyard to organic farming and developed wine tourism by focusing on the renovation of the building. The decision to produce wine organically was an obvious one, but it presents a real daily challenge.

Alexandre Chavanne seeks to be as close to nature as possible; he believes in a ‘god of nature’. For him, nature is wonderful and self-sufficient. If we wish to support and help nature, we must observe and understand it.