Régnié

According to INAO, the commune may take its name from a Gallo-Roman villa belonging to a man named Réginus; INAO's cahier text credits this to François Myard, author in 1907 of 'Le vigneronnage en Beaujolais'. INAO adds that the Abbey of Cluny seems to have owned vines near the village: a Cluny charter of 992 records a gift to the abbey of the chapel of Sainte-Marie in the village of Dueri (Durette), with the donor's lands, vines, meadows and mills in that parish. From 1769, INAO's 2022 cahier text says, Régnié and Durette were among the 16 Beaujolais parishes authorised to ship their wines to Paris, and Inter Beaujolais notes that the commune lies on the road to the Loire Valley, so its wines could reach Paris as early as the 18th century. The Grange Charton estate in Régnié, bequeathed to the Hospices de Beaujeu in 1809 by the De Millières sisters, is the seat of the Hospices' vineyard operation, per INAO. Previously Beaujolais with the 'Villages' mention, the wines were recognised as AOC Régnié by a decree of 20 December 1988, INAO's cahier text states; the delimited parcel area is the one approved by INAO's national committee at its sessions of 2 and 3 June 1988.

• A Gallo-Roman villa of one Réginus may have given the commune its name (INAO)
• A Cluny charter of 992 records a gift to the abbey that included vines at Dueri (Durette), per INAO
• From 1769, Régnié and Durette were among 16 Beaujolais parishes authorised to ship wine to Paris (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• Recognised as AOC Régnié by a decree of 20 December 1988, having previously been Beaujolais with the 'Villages' mention (INAO)

Inter Beaujolais places Régnié between Brouilly and Morgon. INAO's 2022 cahier text locates the zone on the eastern edge of the Monts du Beaujolais below the Fût d'Avenas, a summit of 842 metres, 50 kilometres north of Lyon and 22 kilometres from Villefranche-sur-Saône, with the Ardières as its southern limit. The same text sets the zone within the granite massif known as 'de Fleurie', a coarse-grained granite that weathers into very permeable sandy formations called arènes. Delimited parcels lie on granitic slopes between 250 and 450 metres, with shallow, free-draining sandy soils on the steep slopes of the centre and north, deeper sandy-silt soils more or less rich in clay on gentler slopes in the south, and clayey, often stony alluvial soils on old terraces. Inter Beaujolais (accessed 2026) gives an average altitude of 350 metres on southeast-facing slopes and soils of granite (64%) and piedmont deposits (34%), and Decanter's Andy Howard MW (updated 2021) describes pink-granite, mineral-rich soils. INAO's 2022 cahier text describes an oceanic climate with continental and southern influences, about 750 millimetres of rain a year and a mean annual temperature close to 11°C; the Monts du Beaujolais shelter the vineyard from westerly winds and their foehn effect dries the air, while the Saône valley carries southern influences marked by strong summer heat.

• Parcels between 250 and 450 metres on granitic slopes (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• Granite 64% and piedmont deposits 34% per Inter Beaujolais (accessed 2026)
• Oceanic climate with continental and southern influences; about 750 mm of rain a year (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• Located between Brouilly and Morgon (Inter Beaujolais)

INAO's 2022 cahier text names gamay N as the principal variety, with aligoté, chardonnay and melon permitted only when interplanted and limited to 15% in each parcel. INAO's 2022 cahier text also sets a minimum planting density of 6,000 vines per hectare, short pruning, a yield of 56 hl/ha with a rendement butoir of 61 hl/ha, a minimum grape sugar content of 180 g/l and a minimum natural alcohol of 10.5%; the wines are aged until at least 15 January after the harvest and released to consumers from 1 February. The same text says producers use a vinification in which traditional fermentation and semi-carbonic maceration coexist. The same cahier text links style to soil: wines can be more structured from parcels on clay soils, and more supple and fruity from parcels on arènes. INAO describes young wines as a purplish red that turns garnet over time, with floral and red fruit notes that take on spicy nuances, and a very fruity palate with raspberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant or blackberry. Inter Beaujolais (accessed 2026) lists raspberry, redcurrant, plum, blackberry and blackcurrant with spicy, mineral notes on the nose, and red fruit, freshness, structure and delicate tannins on the palate.

• Principal variety gamay N; aligoté, chardonnay and melon only when interplanted, up to 15% per parcel (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• Yield 56 hl/ha and rendement butoir 61 hl/ha (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• Traditional fermentation and semi-carbonic maceration coexist (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• More structured wines from clay soils, suppler and fruitier wines from arènes (INAO 2022 cahier text)

Inter Beaujolais highlights the church of Régnié-Durette with its two spires, built in 1867 to plans by the architect Pierre Bossan, who later built the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Since 1967, according to INAO's 2022 cahier text, producers have collectively offered a selection of Régnié wines at the 'Caveau des deux clochers'. INAO says that, as the most recent of the 10 crus, Régnié is designated the 'Prince du Beaujolais'. Inter Beaujolais (accessed 2026) lists La Basse Ronze, La Haute Plaigne, Les Chastys, Vallières and Croix Penet among the most-claimed lieux-dits. Decanter's Andy Howard MW (updated 2021) lists Guy Breton and Domaine Rochette among top producers in Régnié, and Decanter's James Lawther MW (2018) reports that Charly Thévenet bought a 3ha vineyard in Régnié in 2007.

• Double-spired church built in 1867 to plans by Pierre Bossan (Inter Beaujolais)
• Producers' collective 'Caveau des deux clochers' since 1967 (INAO 2022 cahier text)
• Designated the 'Prince du Beaujolais' as the most recent cru (INAO)
• Producers named by Decanter include Guy Breton, Domaine Rochette and Charly Thévenet

Primary sources (INAO and Inter Beaujolais): https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/PNO-CDCRégnié--CN221130.pdf, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/regnie-ou-regnie-cru-du-beaujolais-17297, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/appellation/regnie/, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/legal-notice/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/premium/beaujolais-top-scoring-st-amour-regnie-julienas-and-chenas-2018-wines-455349/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/new-faces-beaujolais-393219/. Last verified 2026-09-24