13th century
Estate founded by CARTHUSIAN monks. Construction of Gothic cellars.
1794
Our family acquired the estate following the monks’ exile during the French Revolution.
1918-1970
Two world wars and phylloxera decimate the Jura wine region, which goes from cultivating 20,000 to 2,000 hectares of vines (in other words, plummeting from 50,000 to 5,000 acres).
Our grandfather, Léandre Pignier, adopted a mixed crop-livestock farming system. He only tended 2 hectares (5 acres) of vines.
1970
Paulette and François Pignier abandoned mixed farming and restored the Pignier family to their status as exclusive winegrowers by replanting 5 hectares (12 acres) of vines.
1984-1995
Jean-Etienne, Antoine and Marie-Florence successively joined the family business.
The estate was extended to a size of 15 hectares (37 acres).
1998
We began our training course in biodynamics with Pierre Masson.
First experiments on the “en Boivin” slope
2002
Rinsed of the residues of earlier chemical inputs, the entire vineyard is finally given over to biodynamic methods.
2003
First inspection and Demeter certification.
The estate is stabilised at around 13 hectares (32 acres). Simultaneously we tend the vines intensively using biodynamic techniques; undertake numerous wine-making experiments (fermenting our wines in concrete eggs, large storage jars, diamond-shaped tanks and amphorae; sulfur-free wines) and try our hand at “massal selection”, which involves reproducing our plants by taking cuttings from the best vines of local and heritage grape varieties.
2020
Thibaut (Antoine’s son) joins us on the estate. He is on his way to representing the eighth generation of Pignier, embodying our determination to remain exclusively winegrowers, only producing and selling wines made from grapes grown in our own vines in Montaigu.
From the vines to the glass, is our philosophy…