The Perrin Family
château de beaucastel owners, in Courtézon, France
Presentation
the domain of beaucastel and the competition goals explained by the perrin family
« One of Jacques Perrin’s greatest contributions was his decision to opt for organic agriculture in a period when most other estates used pesticides. He went in the opposite direction because he had the intuition that using pesticides was not a good thing, and he was right. He was a visionary. Did he know that he was right? He would just act as he felt like, in the way he considered as the right way and he resulted to be right… 20 or 30 years before everybody else. »
Perrin Family
- Philosophy
As pioneers in their innovative approach of organic agriculture as from 1950 and biodynamic agriculture in 1974, the Perrin family is deeply convinced that tasteful grapes are necessary to produce expressive wine. Grapes should reveal the quintessence of their aromas and the prestige of their origins. At Château de Beaucastel, the vineyard is enhanced in its own sphere, i.e. earth, animals and the celestial
bodies by which the earth is influenced. Bees, birds, cicadas and ladybirds live in harmony in the heart of the vineyard. Every day, on each plot, work consists in stimulating the plant’s physiology and natural resistance within a unique ecosystem, preserved with passion.Respecting the country means respecting the soil and environment but also the history of the estate : seeking genuineness and singularity, in order to transmit and perpetuate it whilst revealing all the treasures of Château de Beaucastel.
The Perrins are essentially a family of grape growers who love their land and Beaucastel is mainly a workplace. They are building a sustainable future for Beaucastel, as a grateful tribute to their ancestors’ audaciousness and dedication which resulted in the development of the estate.At Beaucastel, every single oenologist belongs to the Perrin family. The family’s art of blending and unique know-how are transmitted throughout generations. The nine relatives are involved in maintaining the reputation of Beaucastel wines, and each one’s work is driven by a constant quest for perfection. Their main strength lies in their ability to combine each member’s skills to maintain their vineyard under the aegis of common values: country respect and enhancement, search for know-how excellence, and discrete elegance.
why did they decide to organize a competition?
Motivated by a need for space linked with the development of their business, the Perrin Family wishes to take advantage of this need to extend the estate in order to consider an overall renovation project.
The architectural competition was organised in order to entrust the Château de Beaucastel renovation project to an architecture firm chosen not due to its reputation but for the quality of its proposal.
Therefore, this competition was not a simple occasion of imagining a new extension for Beaucastel winery. It was mainly an opportunity for immersion into the Perrin family’s world, to understand their values and work methods in which relationship with the country is of utmost importance.
The competition aims at designing a project embodying these values, whilst offering smart solutions with regard to site-specific difficulties and programme requirements.
