Le Chai Saint Olive , Lyon's first urban winery created by Franck and Grégoire Saint Olive, celebrated its fifth year of operation on November 4, 2025. On this occasion, the winery brought together press, loyal customers and partners for a convivial evening during which the 5th anniversary vintage was unveiled.
History and purpose of Lyon's first urban wine cellar
The term "chai" traditionally refers to the place where all the stages of winemaking take place. Unlike wineries located in wine-growing areas far from cities, Chai Saint Olive has chosen an urban location, in the heart of Lyon's 6th arrondissement.
Inaugurated on September 1, 2020 by Franck and Grégoire Saint Olive, joined by Marie Ody as cellar master, the project responds to a desire: to open up wine tourism in the city by offering a place for the production and tasting of wines and an atypical event space.
The musts, supplied by partner winegrowers located within 80 km of the winery, are vinified, aged, blended, bottled, and then sold on-site. Chai Saint Olive also offers:
- private tours
- wine tastings
- wine workshops
- wine sale
- Professional events: seminars, team-building, strategic committee meetings, team meetings, festive evenings, etc.
- Private hire for individuals: birthdays, parties, etc.
The evening of November 4, 2025 and the anniversary vintage
The anniversary party, which brought together more than a hundred guests, began with private tours of the winery for some guests, allowing them to discover the inner workings of the urban winery: technical choices and constraints, entrepreneurial history, know-how and wines produced with passion.
To mark this anniversary, the winery has created a special anniversary vintage designed as a tribute to the first five years of this urban adventure. This limited edition, produced in 400 bottles, is a blend of three local grape varieties: Chardonnay, Marsanne, and Viognier.
Chai Saint Olive anniversary vintage, available in store and online - 📸 Gabriel Vibert
What is the anniversary vintage of Chai Saint Olive?
The anniversary vintage is produced in a limited edition of 400 bottles and is a blend of:
- 50% Marsanne — vinified and aged in 400L oak barrels for 10 months .
- 35% Viognier — of which 20% was vinified in 1000 L amphorae and 15% aged in 228 L oak barrels .
- 15% Chardonnay — vinified and aged in 228L oak barrels .
These choices of containers and aging times illustrate the search for balance between fruit, roundness and aromatic complexity , values championed by Chai Saint Olive.
The daily life of an urban winery: adaptations and constraints
Producing wine in the city involves specific challenges:
- logistics management for the transport of musts,
- optimization of small spaces,
- Precise temperature control
- Respect for life.
Since 2020, the Chai Saint Olive team has been dealing with unforeseen events (climatic, health, logistical) while maintaining a high standard of production quality.
The anniversary vintage symbolizes these 5 years of work: patience, precision and attention to each stage of winemaking and aging.
FAQ
Q: When and where was the Chai Saint Olive inaugurated?
A: Lyon's first urban winery opened on September 1, 2020 , in the 6th arrondissement at 34 rue Malesherbes.
Q: What is a chai?
A: A wine production site where all stages of winemaking, aging, blending, bottling and selling wines are carried out.
Q: What is the Chai Saint Olive anniversary vintage?
A: A vintage that pays tribute to these 5 years of work, reflection, and experimentation at Chai Saint Olive. A vintage available in a limited edition of 400 bottles. A vintage produced in Lyon with passion.
Q: What is the composition of the collector's edition?
R: 50% Marsanne (aged 400 L, 10 months), 35% Viognier (20% in 1000 L amphora, 15% in 228 L barrel), 15% Chardonnay (228 L barrel).
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