Saint-Aubin's Scientific Poet
Pierre Fenals was never supposed to make wine. Born in the south of France, he studied molecular biology and spent years as a highly skilled biochemist and physiologist. Then he embraced a successful career heading marketing departments of Parisian fashion houses — Dior, Céline, Lanvin. But as time went by, he became tired of the industry and felt the need for yet another change. He sold his company in 2001 at the age of 51, and since wine had been a lifelong passion, settled down in Burgundy to become a vigneron. While studying viticulture and oenology in Beaune and Dijon, he staged with Anne-Claude Leflaive, Jean-Louis Trapet, and Marcel Lapierre in Morgon (where Marcel's son Matthieu was his classmate). He even worked at a cooperative to understand all facets of the industry. But it was the four years he spent with Emmanuel Giboulot that taught him the most — he became Giboulot's régisseur, given the freedom to express himself in both vineyard and cellar. In 2009, he set up shop in a chilly warehouse just outside Saint-Aubin and created Maison En Belles Lies. The name is a tribute to the 17th-century monks who first understood the importance of lees through vinification and ageing, and developed the essential practice of 'élevage sur lies.' Today he tends 7 hectares — half owned, half rented — across ten appellations including Meursault, Monthélie, Santenay, Auxey-Duresses, Saint-Aubin, and the legendary Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. His wines are imbued with the character of their terroirs, incredibly digestible, with a crystalline quality that makes you reach for another sip, time and time again. "My wish is that my wines, white and red, still smell of grapes, impregnated with their fresh scent after 14, 18, 20 months élevage," he says. And that is exactly what they do.
The Biochemist Who Became a Vigneron
Pierre Fenals was born in the south of France and trained as a molecular biologist. He spent years working as a highly skilled biochemist and physiologist, then pivoted to the fashion industry, where he became a successful marketing director for houses like Dior, Céline, and Lanvin. By 2001, at the age of 51, he had reached a breaking point. He sold his company and decided to follow his lifelong passion for wine. Burgundy beckoned [^150^].
He enrolled in viticulture and oenology studies in Beaune and Dijon, where he befriended Marcel Lapierre's son Matthieu. He staged with some of his favourite growers: Anne-Claude Leflaive at Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet, Jean-Louis Trapet in Gevrey-Chambertin, and Marcel Lapierre in Morgon. He even worked at a cooperative to understand every facet of the industry and keep networking through the region. But it was the four years he spent with Emmanuel Giboulot — the biodynamic pioneer in Beaune — that taught him the most. He quickly gained Giboulot's trust, becoming the domaine's régisseur, and was given the freedom to express himself both in the vineyard and the cellar. "An invaluable experience," Pierre calls it [^150^].
In 2009, he set up shop in a chilly warehouse just outside Saint-Aubin and created Maison En Belles Lies. The name is a tribute to the 17th-century monks who first understood the importance of lees through vinification as well as ageing, and developed the essential practice of 'élevage sur lies.' Having spent many years living in the polluted air of big cities, going back to nature and connecting with it was a big draw for Pierre, and working biodynamically was imperative. He became fascinated by biodynamics years before his career as a vigneron, after picking up Rudolf Steiner's book "The Agricultural Course" at a Parisian flea market. From then on he attended courses on biodynamics while applying its principles to the family farm in the Cantal region as a hobby [^150^].
"My wish is that my wines, white and red, still smell of grapes, impregnated with their fresh scent after 14, 18, 20 months élevage."
— Pierre Fenals
Saint-Aubin, Meursault & Corton
Maison En Belles Lies' 7 hectares are spread across ten appellations in the Côte de Beaune — a mosaic of terroirs that spans the humble and the hallowed. Half the vines are owned, half are rented. The parcels include Meursault, Monthélie, Santenay, Auxey-Duresses, Saint-Aubin, Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, and the crown jewel: Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. The soils are Jurassic clay-limestone marls, alluvial sediments on mid-Jurassic (Callovian and Oxfordian) limestone bedrock, at 230–280 metres altitude. The climate is continental, with the typical Burgundian mix of warm days and cool nights [^150^].
Farming is biodynamic and permaculture-inspired. Many of the herbs and plants used in the preparations are harvested in the vicinity of the vineyards, while others such as arnica, wormwood, and yarrow are picked and dried in the Alps where Pierre has a cabin. The 50+ year-old vines originate mostly from qualitative massal selections; naturally low-yielding, they are woven (no trimming) to preserve the shoot apex and avoid plant stress, producing small and tasty grapes with great density and balance. Weather permitting, the vineyard and cellar work is paced by lunar cycles — the reds, for instance, are harvested when the moon is rising, and the cuvaison lasts a full lunar cycle of 29–30 days [^150^].
Pierre's scientific background gives him a unique perspective on biodynamics. As a biochemist, he perfectly understood the reductive power of lees and took it to the next level. Following racking, he coats the inside of the barrels with fine lees before filling them up again — "it informs and protects the young wine," he explains. He also uses frozen lees from the previous vintage to fine and clarify the wines towards the end of the élevage — the old lees from a particular parcel are warmed up and added to the wine from the same plot. This is not mysticism; it is biochemistry applied with poetic precision. "Maison En Belles Lies is therefore a particularly appropriate name," as one importer noted [^150^].
Pierre produces just two barrels from gnarled 85-year-old vines giving a tiny yield, from the fine lieu-dit of Le Charlemagne — the true heartland of this legendary appellation. South-west facing slope in white-coloured marl with small chalky stones overlying a hard limestone base. Fermentation ticks along slowly in two fûts from 2010 and 2014, followed by an 18-month élevage. Pierre has always found that this climat benefits from longer ageing. One of the finest white Burgundies — a wine of style and race, with density and yet finesse, limpid quality, marked salinity, and just so much class. 13.5% ABV.
50–60-year-old vines planted on an alluvial fan in Meursault, deep soils of sand and clayey silt. 15 months élevage in 350L fûts, no fining or filtration, bottled with 15 mg/L SO₂. Round and creamy with a tonic finish, a well-handled reduction bringing lovely toasty notes. An extremely pleasurable wine for everyday drinking that carries the Meursault name with grace and accessibility. 12% ABV.
Located at the bottom of a coteau, lieu-dit Les Saunières, the soils are very red and made up of marls. The vineyard is 0.37 hectares and was planted 40 years ago. The terroir lends a pronounced irony quality to the wine — dense in its youth, it expresses lovely floral and herbal notes sustained by minerality on the palate. Aged in old 350L barrels for 15 months with 15 mg/L sulfur added at bottling. 12% ABV.
The first vineyard ever owned by Maison En Belles Lies, surrounded by fallow land and forest. Pierre planted fruit trees and settled beehives among the 50-year-old vines. A remote area on the plateau at 320m altitude — white 'terre blanche' of medium depth, lots of stones and fossils, perfectly suited to Aligoté Doré. Aged 14 months in 30% stainless steel and 70% old 350L barrels. Silky and ripe on the palate, perfectly balanced by savoury, lip-smacking acidity. 12% ABV.
Lees & Lunar Cycles
Pierre Fenals' cellar work is a marriage of biochemistry and biodynamics — two disciplines that most people see as opposed, but which Pierre has fused into a singular philosophy. The wines are given a one-year élevage, with an additional six months if deemed necessary. He favours 500-litre, 7–10-year-old barrels — old enough to add no wood flavour, just enough to let the wine breathe and evolve. In the cellar, he tries to be as gentle as possible with slow fermentation. There is no lees stirring for the whites, and only 1.5 g/hL sulfur added if needed. The reds carry out whole-bunch fermentation, there is no active extraction, no racking, and therefore no sulfur added — a play on reduction that Pierre the biochemist understands intimately [^150^].
The lees are his secret weapon. Following racking, Pierre coats the inside of the barrels with fine lees before filling them up again — a technique he developed after years of studying the reductive properties of yeast sediment. He also uses frozen lees from the previous vintage to fine and clarify the wines towards the end of the élevage. The old lees from a particular parcel are warmed up and added to the wine from the same plot, creating a kind of genetic continuity between vintages. This is not just technique; it is a philosophy of memory and terroir — each wine carries the echo of its predecessors [^150^].
The lunar calendar governs every major decision. Reds are harvested when the moon is rising. Cuvaison lasts a full lunar cycle of 29–30 days. Bottling happens at specific phases. Pierre is not dogmatic about biodynamics — "steering away from dogma," as one importer noted — but he respects the rhythms of nature with a scientist's precision. The result is wines that are alive, digestible, and crystalline. Wines that smell of grapes even after 20 months of élevage. Wines that make you reach for another sip, time and time again [^150^].
The Fire-Branded Cork Obsession
Pierre Fenals is obsessed with corks. Not the wine inside — the cork that seals it. He believes that ink-stamped corks influence the flavours of the wine, tainting it with chemical residues from the printing process. So he uses only fire-branded corks — corks marked with a hot iron rather than ink. It is a small detail, almost invisible to the drinker, but for Pierre it is essential. "The wines are under excellent quality fire-branded corks," he insists, "as Pierre believes that ink stamped corks influence the flavours." This obsession with purity extends to every aspect of his operation: the lees-coated barrels, the frozen lees from previous vintages, the lunar-cycle bottling, the minimal sulfur, the no-filtration policy. Nothing is left to chance. Nothing is accepted without question. A scientist at heart, Pierre has been open-minded enough to embrace an alternative way of farming while steering away from dogma. Rubbing shoulders for so many years with the luminaries of biodynamics and natural winemaking has allowed him to break down and understand these principles at a level rarely seen before. Chapeau bas, Monsieur Fenals.
Crystalline & Digestible
Maison En Belles Lies has become one of the most respected names in Burgundy's natural wine scene — not through hype or marketing, but through the sheer quality and consistency of Pierre's wines. He is one of the few Burgundian growers who is equally good at vinifying both colours — whites of crystalline purity, reds of vibrant fruit and elegant structure. As one importer put it: "Maison En Belle Lies' wines are imbued with the character of the terroirs they are from, they are incredibly digeste with a crystalline quality that makes you reach for another sip, time and time again" [^150^].
What sets Pierre apart is his unique combination of scientific rigour and biodynamic sensitivity. He is a biochemist who understands the molecular mechanics of fermentation, reduction, and lees contact — and a biodynamicist who respects the lunar cycles, the cosmic forces, and the living energy of the vineyard. This dual perspective allows him to make wines that are both technically precise and spiritually alive. He is not dogmatic; he is curious. He experiments with sandstone amphorae and terracotta jars. He tests new techniques while honouring ancient ones. And he shares his knowledge generously — "happily and pedagogically," as one observer noted — making him a mentor to younger winemakers like Margaux Rivaux and Lothar Galloo of La Chaume des Lies, who both trained under him [^150^][^147^].
Pierre's wines are allocated to natural wine markets in France, the US, the UK, and beyond. They are not the easiest wines to find — production is limited, and demand is high — but they are worth the hunt. From the entry-level Aligoté to the legendary Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, every wine carries the unmistakable mark of a vigneron who has lived many lives and brought the wisdom of each one to the vineyard. "Pierre Fenals is simply one of the most fascinating vignerons we met," as one importer wrote. "Not only his bonhomie and joie de vivre are a pleasure to be around, but he also happily and pedagogically shares the wealth of knowledge accumulated during his 'many lives.'" [^150^].
"Pierre Fenals is simply one of the most fascinating vignerons we met. A scientist at heart, he has been open-minded enough to embrace an alternative way of farming whilst steering away from dogma."
— Vine Trail
The En Belles Lies Range
All wines are made from biodynamically farmed fruit (Demeter principles, not certified), hand-harvested according to lunar cycles. Indigenous yeast fermentation in old 350L and 500L barrels, sandstone amphorae, and terracotta jars. Reds: whole-bunch fermentation, no active extraction, no racking, no sulfur added (play on reduction). Whites: direct press, no lees stirring, minimal sulfur (1.5 g/hL) only if needed. Lees-coated barrels, frozen lees from previous vintages used for fining. One-year élevage, plus six months if necessary. No fining, no filtration. Bottled with fire-branded corks only [^150^].