Château des Ravatys

The Château des Ravatys is a vineyard located in the commune of Saint Lager, in the Rhône department, in the Auvergne Rhône Alpes region. The estate produces notably Beaujolais crus and wines belonging to the AOC Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

The history of Château des Ravatys

In the middle of the 19th century, a polytechnic engineer from Lorraine named Auguste Solet decided to buy a wine estate after having made his fortune from the construction of the viaducts of the Algiers-Constantine railway line.

As passionate about architecture as he was about viticulture, Auguste Solet himself designed the plans for the Château des Ravatys and its operating buildings. His goal was to create a modern and perfectly structured estate. He was also very involved in the life of his village of Saint Lager, of which he became mayor. He took the opportunity to create the first mutual aid society in the canton.

His only direct heir, his only son, having died in the 1870 war, Auguste Solet bequeathed all his fortune and the Château des Ravatys to his niece Mathilde Courbe whom he had adopted.

Thanks to Mathilde's talented management of the Château des Ravatys vineyard, the wines won a bronze medal at the agricultural competition of the 1900 Universal Exhibition. The heiress also decided to continue the social work of her uncle. She donated a substantial sum to the Belleville hospital, became president of the Beaujolais Red Cross and financed a military hospital during the Second World War.

Having no heirs, Mathilde Courbe bequeathed all her property to the Pasteur Institute in Paris in 1937.

In December 2020, the Château des Ravatys was purchased by the Lavorel family, originally from Lyon.

The Château des Ravatys vineyard

The Château des Ravatys vineyard covers 29 hectares. The grape variety for the red and rosé wines is only composed of Gamay. The white wine is made from the Chardonnay grape. The average age of the vines varies between 45 and 50 years.

The Gamay Noir grape variety with white juice is cultivated on the east and southeast facing plots where it benefits from the temperate climate of the region. It also appreciates the lean, acidic soils, which are not very fertile, and which contribute to the production of elegant and fine wines.

The vines dedicated to the Côte de Brouilly grow on the slopes of Mount Brouilly. They benefit from the blue granite which stores the heat of the day to restore it during the night.

The vines reserved for Brouilly are grown on the plain to take advantage of the deeper, richer soil.

Each parcel is vinified separately, which allows them to express each their specificities. Indeed, the Gamay grapes require prior maceration and fermentation, while the Chardonnay berries are processed directly through the pneumatic press.

The wines of Château des Ravatys

The red wines

Brouilly - Les Marquisats
Côte de Brouilly - Cuvée Mathilde
Côte de Brouilly - Cuvée Auguste
Côte de Brouilly - Cuvée Réserve

Le vin blanc

Beaujolais – Chardonnay

Le vin rosé

Beaujolais – Air de rosé