A story of generations
The CHANRION family is a family of wine-growers anchored around Mont Brouilly for eight generations.
Between 1700 and 1900, three generations of Pierre CHANRION worked as a wine-grower in the commune of Quincié-en-Beaujolais.
The latter passed on two properties to his eldest son, Benoît: one in Cercié en Beaujolais and another in the hamlet of Chavannes, in the commune of Quincié-en-Beaujolais. From that time onwards, our family has been running the current estate in Cercié.
Benoît CHANRION property manager at Quincié1843 - 1920
Alongside his work as a property manager, Benoît Chanrion continues to run the family vineyards.
He passed on the Chavannes farm to his eldest son, Paul, born in 1872, and the Cercié farm to his youngest son, Joanny (Romain's great grandfather), born in 1886, that of Cercié.
Paul CHANRION's descendants also continued in the wine business:
- Yvonne and her husband Claude GEOFFRAY develop Château Thivin,
- Marcel runs the Chavannes property until his death at the age of 40,
- Denise and her husband André JAMBON, inherit the Chavannes property, which will be operated by their son, Paul.
Joanny CHANRION and his descendants develop the current Cercié estate.
Joanny Benoît CHANRION winegrowner at Cercié1886 - 1967
Joanny settled in Cercié after his marriage and worked as a wine estate manager for the DE MAILLY family. He was also mayor of the municipality.
At the same time, he expanded the family business in Cercié.
His eldest son, Raymond (Romain's grandfather), was born in 1912, inherited part of the vineyards and the farm buildings.
Lucien, his second son, also continued in viticulture while Eugène, the last, was an engineer.
Raymond Benoît CHANRION wine-growner at Cercié1912 - 2007
After the war, on his return from captivity in Germany, Raymond completely rebuilt the estate.
He modernised it by switching from horse-work to mechanisation. He was a precursor for his time and was one of the first wine-growers in the Beaujolais region to equip himself with a Bénéthuilière tractor and a high clearance tractor.
He was also involved in the village associations.
His two daughters, Nicole, born in 1947 and Michèle, born in 1950, are equally involved in the estate.
Nicole CHANRION
After studying at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune and an internship in California's Napa Valley, Nicole returned to her roots in the Beaujolais region when she took over the family's 5-hectare estate in 1979, including 3.5 hectares in Côte de Brouilly. She was one of the first women to become a wine-grower and to manage an estate.
The modernisation of the estate began by her father by equipping the barrel fermentation with stainless steel tanks with temperature control and a pneumatic press She invests in the field of oenology and vinification, intending to always produce high-quality wines with strong ageing potential.
Committed to the Côte de Brouilly appellation, she is also involved in the profession by becoming president of the Côte de Brouilly appellation.
Romain is the only son of Jean-Pierre and Nicole CHANRION.
Romain Pierre CHANRION
After a scientific preparatory class, Romain joined an engineering school in Water, Energy and the Environment, and then worked as an engineer in a large French energy group (AREVA - EDF).
At the same time, he decided to study oenology to devote himself entirely to his passion for wine-growing, working actively alongside his mother to continue developing the family estate.
While preserving the high-quality of the wines acquired with the experience of several generations, he wishes to assert himself in respect of the environment and the development of the soils of the Côte de Brouilly. Since 2017, he has offered plot selections and other forms of expression of the Gamay grape variety such as Perle de Gamay (white wine) and Effervescence (sparkling wine).
Today, the heritage acquired from these eight generations of wine-growers allows us to offer you unique and quality wines, combining tradition and modernity.