Béatrice et Pascal Lambert
Appellation: Chinon
Owner: Martial Le Terrier and a group of investors
Ten-second primer: Created in the late 1980s by Pascal and Béatrice, early adopters of organic and biodynamic viticulture, this domaine developed a reputation for the quality of its wines. After some financial difficulties, in 2026 the domaine was acquired by a group of investors led by Martial Le Terrier.
This profile includes: Three pages of history and detail (links above), and tasting notes back to 2008.
The appellation of Chinon spreads far beyond the confines of the town of the same name. On the right bank of the Vienne the boundaries of the appellation extend west to encompass the sand, gravel and limestone soils of Beaumont-en-Véron, where vines were first planted in this region. And on the same bank the appellation also extends to the east, through Cravant-les-Coteaux and on to Panzoult. Both of these western and eastern zones are essential to the appellation, but when it comes to the wines of the Lambert family it is to the east, and to Cravant-les-Coteaux, that we must look.
These eastern vineyards benefit from a limestone slope which runs down from the plateau above to the alluvial gravel of the river plain below, and it is a vital terroir for Chinon. Along this narrow escarpment many of the Chinon appellation’s most famous vineyards are to be found, and thus many of the best-known domaines. Any grower with vines on these chalky slopes has the potential to make top-class wine, in a tense, limestone-framed and ageworthy style. They all deserve our attention, and one among them is the domaine of Béatrice et Pascal Lambert (Pascal is pictured below).
This is not an ancient domaine, but then very few in Chinon can make this claim. Its story begins in the 1980s, although I have managed to glean a little more background detail about the family’s presence here; as is often the case, while the domaine is young, the family have been tending vines in the region for decades, if not centuries. I explore this history here, before moving on to look at the domaine in modern times, which – particularly in very recent years – have been difficult. On the subsequent pages I look at the vineyards and wines, before presenting my tasting notes on the final page.
