Athénaïs decided to take over the family vineyards under one condition: she would produce only organic wine.

The history of Chateau de Béru in Chablis dates back about four centuries with ancient cuvees to prove it, but as a winegrowing estate, the Béru family took a hundred year hiatus after the arrival of phylloxera; and replanted their vines in the late 1980’s. 

A modern chapter was born with the arrival of Athénaïs de Béru, who was living in Paris and building a career in banking when her family legacy called her home. After a sabbatical working on an organic farm in Central America and inspired by its natural methods, Athénaïs decided to take over the family vineyards under one condition: she would produce only organic wine. In the early 2000's she changed the trajectory of the domaine by imbuing the property with a passion for organic/biodynamic farming, and presenting a “less is more” approach in the cellar: native yeast ferment, and no additions minus some sulphur at bottling; and in the vineyards: natural composting, cover cropping, and manual weed control, closely observing the vineyard’s cycles. The domaine earned organic certification in 2006 and biodynamic certification in 2009.

The Bérus, like the best Burgundian estates, are obsessed with the various expressions of place. The "Terroirs de Beru" Chablis is a melange of multiple parcels with the goal being to express the essential character of the wines from the hamlet of Béru. Their Montserre vineyard is their high altitude bottling, the highest vineyard in all of Béru which is often battered by winds making the ripeness a bit precarious in certain vintages and the acidity always like the edge of a sharp knife. Their Monopole, called "Clos Béru" is the jewel in their crown: powerful, structured, multi-layered and broadly mineral. It's a true force when you can feel the earth resonating in your glass.  

Athénaïs makes Chablis that have a clear identity: a focus on minerality — not fruit or oak — firm acidity, and a subtle yet powerful palate.