About Château Beausejour

The story of Chateau Beausejour, nestled in the heart of Puisseguin St Emilion, is entwined firmly with the evolution of viticulture in the 20th century. The conclusion of the Second World War also marked the moment when synthetic pesticides and herbicides first appeared on the market and France embraced these new products with open arms. The country was reeling from the conflict and the occupation.

While today we understand the consequences of such methods, at the time these products resembled nothing as much as a miracle, drastically reducing the labor required to maintain fields and vineyards alike. But even in this explosion of modernity there were growers who second-guessed the wisdom of chemical farming. Chateau Beausejour was helmed at the time by Alain Dupuy, following his father Marceau, who purchased the property in 1934. Not only did he inherit his father’s time-honored techniques for tending to the vines, but he also spent time examining the effects of the new farming products on the market. He came to the conclusion that the potential dangers to workers and consumers alike out weighed any benefits. Before “organic” viticulture became an established practice, Alain’s approach was groundbreaking and set the stage for the winery’s future success.

In 1995, Alain’s son, Gerard Dupuy, joined the family business and took it a step further by pursuing organic certification from Ecocert, a testament to the work of his father and grandfather. Gerard remains committed to the organic principles of winemaking, avoiding chaptalization, acidification, or any alteration to the wines. Since his children (Victor, Manu and Camille) have joined him, they have taken this commitment to natural farming and biodiversity further, converting to biodynamics and obtaining Demeter certification. They avoid tilling the soil unless absolutely necessary, preferring to maintain a robust cover crop to encourage microbiological health and limit erosion.

They have expanded their holdings significantly as well, purchasing vines in the Cote de Castillon to the east of Puisseguin, as well as in Bergerac. They bottle the Castillon fruit on its own as the Domaine de la Grande Courraye, as well as blended with the Bergerac vines to create the Vin de France ‘Empreintes’ wines. The Chateau Beausejour signature style includes a 48-hour cold soak, followed by a 2-3 week low-temperature natural yeast fermentation. Their Chateaux Beauséjour are aged for 12-24 months in oak barrels, with 30% being new, preserving the legacy of excellence and passion for the craft that began generations ago.