The Château de l'Éclair is located in the town of Porte des Pierres Dorées, in the Rhône department, a few kilometers south-west of Villefranche-sur-Saône.
To the north of the village of Liergues, now part of the new town of Porte des Pierres Dorées, it was built in the last third of the 19th century by the Guinon family, who had made their fortune in chemistry (dying Lyon silks).
It owes its name to its second owner, Victor Vermorel, inventor of "Éclair-Vermorel", a container used to sulphate the vines.
In neo-Gothic style, with some elements inspired by Viollet-le-Duc, the building has the particularity of having a porch located opposite the entrance gate: this forces visitors to walk around it and admire the property as a whole. The roof is made of glazed tiles typical of Burgundy.
A man of science passionate about wine, author of numerous works on the fight against phylloxera, Victor Vermorel died in 1927.
The property then housed a convalescent home.
Nowadays, the Château de l'Éclair is at the center of a wine estate in the heart of Beaujolais. Twenty hectares of vines are cultivated. In addition, the property houses a wine research center.
The renowned wines of the estate are presented and sold in a shop in the village of Liergues, but the public can be welcomed at the château by appointment. Information on +33 4 74 02 22 40.
