Discover France and Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Beaujolais in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Wayne Munday
- Oct 27
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 28
Sip back and discover France and explore the fossils and geodiversity of the Beaujolais region in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Just a short distance north of Lyon is a landscape where geology, fossils and viticulture intertwine to tell a story spanning nearly 500 million years. Stretching from the fertile Saône River plain to the rugged Beaujolais Mountains of the Massif Central the foundation of granite, schist, limestone and marl shapes both its dramatic scenery and its celebrated Beaujolais wine terroir. Beneath the rolling vineyards are Jurassic marine sediments that preserve fossils of ammonites, belemnites and marine reptiles. These fossil finds record life and extinction during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event when low-oxygen seas fostered exceptional fossil preservation. Today, this union of geodiversity, fossil heritage and viticulture defines the Beaujolais region as a world-class destination for wine tourism and where every vineyard, every bottle and every glass of wine served tells the story of deep time.
The Beaujolais UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the heart of the Beaujolais region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the south east of France just north of Lyon. The region is renowned for its mountains and volcanoes that include the French Alps and Mont Blanc Europe’s highest peak and the Chaîne des Puys a UNESCO-listed volcanic landscape. This is a landscape where geology and viticulture converge to produce the a terroir driven wines from the Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône and Savoie vineyards. Not forgetting that Lyon has since 1935 been regarded as the “world capital of haute cuisine” according to Maurice Edmond Sailland, known by his pen name Curnonsky and hailed as the “Prince of Gastronomy” was one of France’s most influential 20th-century food writers.
The Beaujolais UNESCO Global Geopark in France extends from the fertile Saône River plain in the east to the rugged Beaujolais Mountains of the Massif Central, where Mont Saint-Rigaud rises to 1,009 metres. This spectacular landscape captures nearly 500 million years of Earth history, revealing a geological foundation of Hercynian granite and schist formed during the Late Paleozoic mountain-building when Gondwana collided with Euramerica. Overlying these ancient rocks are marine limestones, clays, and sandstones deposited over 80 million years and later reshaped by the tectonic uplift of the Pyrenees and the Alps, followed by glaciation and river erosion that sculpted the terrain. As the Alps and Beaujolais massif rose, rivers transported and redeposited vast sediments, creating the broad alluvial and fluvio-glacial deposits of the Saône plain. Today, this dynamic geological evolution supports fertile farmland, alluvial aquifers, and peri-fluvial grasslands, forming the natural foundation of the Beaujolais wine terroir and its globally celebrated vineyards.
The Beaujolais region is known for its distinctive terroir achieved by the Gamay grape that is influenced by the local geodiversity. Part of that story is its fossil record and although the northern hills are underlain by granite and schist it is the Jurassic limestones and marls that preserve evidence of the ancient shallow Western Tethys Sea. During the Jurassic Period northern Beaujolais lay at the northern margin of this shallow epicontinental sea where warm marine waters deposited limestones and marls forming fossiliferous layers. These sediments yield marine fossils such as brachiopods, bivalves, crinoids, Dactylioceras ammonites and abundant belemnites and occasionally ferns and seed ferns from older Carboniferous and Permian layers. Trace fossils, including burrows and feeding marks, further reveal the dynamic environments of Beaujolais millions of years ago.
Interestingly, the Early Jurassic period and particularly across the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary from 183 to 184 million years ago a significant and widespread loss of species happened during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE). Driven by rapid climate shifts and widespread oxygen depletion in seawater. While the effects were catastrophic for marine vertebrates this interval was crucial for the diversification of major marine amniotes that evolved from terrestrial ancestors including thalattosuchian crocodiles, neoichthyosaurian ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.
In the Beaujolais region a Lafarge Quarry situated between the villages of Charnay-d'Azergues, Belmont-d'Azergues, and Saint-Jean-des-Vignes has revealed a remarkable Jurassic fossil site. Excavations have uncovered an exceptional abundance of well-preserved marine fossils, including rare examples with soft-tissue preservation, from the Lower and Middle Jurassic strata on the eastern margin of the Massif Central. This extraordinary fossil record owes its preservation to unique taphonomic conditions, where anoxic seabed environments and early carbonate cementation driven by sulphate-reducing bacteria prevented decay and disturbance, allowing delicate biological structures to remain intact. The fossils, representing both marine invertebrates and vertebrates, provide invaluable insights into the ancient ecosystems of the Jurassic seas that once covered Beaujolais. Many of these scientifically significant specimens are now displayed at the FOSSILEA Museum in Saint-Jean-des-Vignes.
Among the exceptionally diverse well preserved assemblage of fossil vertebrates found at the Lafarge quarry includes the incomplete skulls, ganoid scales, bone fragments and fins of Actinopterygian ray-finned bony fish such as Leptolepis, Dapedium and possibly Lepidotes. Among the fish fossils are cartilaginous Chondrichthyan's a diverse shark assemblage including hybodontiform fin spines, cladodont teeth of Hybodus and a rare neoselachian tooth. The fossils of jaw fragments, teeth, osteoderms and vertebrae from extinct marine thalattosuchians and teleosaurid crocodyliforms such as Steneosaurus and Platysuchus are present.
A nearly complete ichthyosaur skeleton described as a new species called Temnodontosaurus azerguensis has also been found. This species is distinguished by its longirostrine rostrum or long snout suggesting a specialised diet focused on soft prey unlike the robust apex-predatory feeding habits typical of other Temnodontosaurus species. Together, these assemblages from the Lafarge Quarry create a comprehensive picture of Early Jurassic marine biodiversity in Beaujolais.
Geodiversity gives the Beaujolais Gamay grape their distinctive terroir, the French concept of "sense of place" and refers to how a unique combination of natural factors such as climate, soil, topography, sun exposure, water drainage and surrounding vegetation shapes the taste and character of a wine, explaining why wines from the same grape can differ by location. The quality of a wine's terroir is protected by the AOC or Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée that sets the geographic standards for wines made in France and also the European Union’s PDO (Protected Designation of Origin).
In Beaujolais the underlying geology plays a defining role in shaping the region’s celebrated wine terroir. Where granite and schist form the steep, shallow soils, vineyards yield wines prized for their minerality, freshness, and early-drinking character. In contrast, areas underlain by limestone and clay-rich subsoils retain more moisture and nutrients, promoting slower ripening, enhanced phenolic development and greater ageing potential. With more than 300 distinct rock types identified across the region, Beaujolais showcases an intricate mosaic of micro-terroirs that give rise to the unique personalities of appellations such as Morgon, Fleurie, and Brouilly. This extraordinary geodiversity explains why Beaujolais wines are far from uniform and each vineyard expresses a distinctive sense of place, deeply rooted in the geology of the land.
All Beaujolais wines are made exclusively from the Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, a purple-skinned grape variety native to France and celebrated for its vibrant, fruit-forward character. The region produces a diverse range of styles, from the youthful and expressive Beaujolais Nouveau to the elegant Beaujolais Villages and the ten prestigious Beaujolais Crus, including Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, and Fleurie, each shaped by its own soil, slope, and microclimate. The Gamay grape is uniquely sensitive to the local geology as its thin skin and delicate structure make it highly responsive to variations in soil type, drainage and mineral composition. In the granite-rich northern crus, Gamay produces structured wines with minerality and depth, while in the clay-limestone soils of southern Beaujolais, it yields softer, rounder wines with bright, fruit-driven flavours.
The Beaujolais region of France is a captivating destination where world-renowned wines, rich geological heritage, and a remarkable fossil record come together to tell a story 500 million years in the making. Here, vineyards thrive on ancient marine sediments infused with Jurassic fossils creating a terroir unlike any other. This exceptional geodiversity not only shapes the soil and microclimate but also imparts the distinctive character found in every glass of Beaujolais wine. The connection between geology, fossils, and viticulture is celebrated across the region, from the rolling vineyard slopes to the exhibits of the FOSSILEA Museum, where visitors can explore how deep time and natural history are preserved both in the rocks beneath their feet and in the authentic identity of Beaujolais, where every bottle tells the geological story of the land.
