BEAUJOLAIS/CRU

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - "The 2014 Beaujolais Blanc had been bottled in February 2015 and comes from vines planed in 2010. Jean-Marc considers this to be his first “serious” vintage. Cropped at 55 hectoliters per hectare and matured in tank, it has a crisp pear and lemon thyme nose that gently unfolds in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a citrus-fresh opening. There is a pleasant waxiness coming through on the finish, a little resinous with a dab of lemongrass. This is a very capable Beaujolais Blanc."

When Nicole Chanrion began her career in the 1970s, convention relegated women to the enology labs and kept them out of the cellars even her mother thought winemaking was man’s work but she would not be deterred from her dream of becoming a vigneronne. The Côte-de-Brouilly appellation sits on the hillsides of Mont Brouilly, a prehistoric volcano that left blue schist stones and volcanic rock along its slopes. These stones yield structured wines with pronounced minerality and great aging potential. After her formal training at the viticultural school in Beaune Nicole had a brief internship in the Napa Valley, where she learned another approach to winemaking but, happily for us, gained a deeper appreciation of the traditional winemaking techniques of the Beaujolais: hand harvesting, whole cluster fermentation, aging the wines in large oak foudres for at least nine months, and bottling unfiltered. The resulting wines are powerful, with loads of pure fruit character and floral aromas.

Growing up the son of famous “Gang of Four” Morgon producer Jean-Paul Thévenet, Charly Thévenet was exposed quite early on to traditional, more natural viticulture—a philosophy that his father and friends helped to resurrect in Beaujolais in the early eighties. Though only in his twenties, Charly has already started a dynamic career. A few years ago, with extensive experience working for his father and in Marcel Lapierre’s winery already under his belt, he purchased a parcel of eighty-year-old vines in Régnié, west-southwest of his hometown of Villié-Morgon. Régnié is a terroir enjoying something of its own renaissance in the hands of talented growers like Charly and his dad’s pal, Guy Breton. In fact, Regnié has joined the short list of Grand Crus in the Beaujolais. Situated on a plateau of seabed stone in the foothills of the Côte du Py, it gives a fresh wine with solid acidity.

As the next generation of the natural wine movement, Charly seems to have inherited his father’s savoir faire. He uses biodynamic farming techniques in the vineyard, never adding synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides to the vines. He harvests late, with an aggressive sorting of the grapes, adds minimal doses of sulfur dioxide, ages the wine in four-year-old Burgundian barriques, and bottles his wines unfiltered. Add a dose of that Thévenet talent, and you have a recipe for excellent wine! The 2007 vintage marked his first release and his first collaboration with KLWM.

We are unanimously impressed with this rising star.

VINOUS-ANTONIO GALLONI 90 POINTS: Deep ruby. Ripe cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by suggestions of licorice and fruitcake. Lush and creamy on the palate, offering ripe, expansive black and blue fruit flavors that don't come off very Beaujolais-like to me. Seamless and sweet, with a potent black raspberry quality clinging on a long, broad and subtly tannic finish. I suspect that Beaujolais purists will find my score high, while those who love plush, seamless and assertively fruity wines will view it as stingy. Either way, the smart money is on drinking it now and over the next few years."

With a deep sherry colour, with walnut and little red fruits aromas, this wine has silky tannins that will help it to age. It will be a perfect partner for « charcuteries », Italian foods, red and white meats when young. Getting older, it will be perfect with game game meat.

The 2015 Chateau Des Tours Beaujolais should be at or near the top of your list of wines to serve during the holidays. This wine from Brouilly benefits from the nearly perfect growing season of warm sunny days and cool nights. The excellent conditions of the vintage show in the perfectly ripened fruit flavors of this wine and its generous texture with soft, supple tannins. This medium-bodied wine is a classic pairing for turkey and ham or perfect to enjoy while chatting with family or friends during the holidays.

Beaujolais is located just south of Burgundy and its vineyards are classified according to quality. Chateau Des Tours is located in Brouilly, which is one of the 10 Cru’s considered to be the crème de la crème of the winegrowing region and recognized for their exceptional quality of their wines. At their best, the Cru’s of Beaujolais rival the drinkability of village-level Burgundy and offer outstanding value. Chateau Des Tours is located at the foot of Mount Brouilly and its 40 year-old vineyards are situated in a natural amphitheater around the Château. The vines are planted in sandy soils made of decomposed granite over bedrock.

Chateau Des Tours has crafted a wine which is generously textured yet bright. This pleasing Beaujolais is ready to drink now, yet capable of aging for several years if desired. Des Tours shows how good Cru Beaujolais can be at a price that is an outstanding value.

Medium ruby in color with brilliant reflections. The bouquet is dominated by violets with red and black fruit aromas along with a touch of spiciness. The palate is rich and round and medium-bodied. The tannins are soft and supple, framing fruit flavors which are mouth-watering. Fresh-picked black cherries, dark raspberries, plum and warm spices are ripe and juicy. Drink now through 2021.

The "Champs Grilles" lieu-dit is situated in the heart of the Saint Amour appellation on soil composed of sand and schist. The average age of the vines are 70 years (as of 2011) with some as old as 90 years. The grapes are hand-harvested, subject to multiple "tries" (both in the field and on a sorting table); then, the grapes are destemmed, a brief cold maceration is done to extract color and aroma, followed by a 12-day cuvaison with regular pigeage and remontage. The wine is aged in stainless steel and bottled within a year of the harvest.

eROBERT PARKER 91 POINTS : "The 2015 Fleurie les Moriers has a similar bouquet to the 2014 but with a little more intensity. This springs out of the glass whereas the previous vintage needed more coaxing. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe red fruit on the entry. I like the cohesion and focus here, demonstrating fine structure for a Fleurie, almost Morgon-like on the finish. This is a superb follow-up to the impressive 2014."

"Diochon's muscular red may not be as immediately accessible as the other crus, but it will change any preconceived notions you may have about Beaujolais. Deep, dark aromas of earth and blackberries put a powerful spin on quaffability." Importer

Lafarge, biodynamics, Gamay, granite – sounds like a match made in heaven n’est ce-pas? As if managing the Lafarge family’s iconic domaine in Volnay wasn’t enough, Frédéric and Chantal Lafarge decided in spring 2014 to embark on a new adventure a little further south. Still Burgundy but a new sector, a new grape variety and the inspiring Beaujolais Cru terroirs that come with it. What’s perhaps most beautiful about the new project is that the couple really wanted to invest in something together that would be entirely their own creation. This equal partnership is reflected in the inclusion of both of their names for the domaine’s title and on the label (Vial is Chantal’s maiden name).

The couple kicked off their venture by purchasing 2.25 hectares and winemaking facility in 2014. For this first vintage, they produced three cuvées – Chiroubles, Fleurie Bel Air and Fleurie Clos Vernay. In true Lafarge fashion, each one reflects its individual and specific vineyard origin. Frédéric and Chantal immediately began working all acquired vineyards biodynamically, with the same intention and detailed observation as for their Côte d’Or vineyards.

Following a few additional vineyard purchases, the domaine’s total surface area increased to 4.1 hectares for the 2015 vintage. This includes the acquisition of the gorgeous, high altitude, old vine plot of Joie du Palais in Fleurie. Here the steep slopes require horse-plowing, for which the Lafarges recruit Max, a beautiful gray horse who also spends time working Olivier Merlin’s vineyard in Moulin à Vent.

Frédéric is as giddy as a kid with a brand new toy – new terroirs to understand, new vineyards to observe and adapt his biodynamic methods to, and a new grape variety through which to communicate the combination of these complex elements.

The slight delay in ripeness between the Côte de Beaune and the Beaujolais allow the Lafarges to be fully present during harvest at both domaines for their first two vintages. The steep, gobelet-trained vineyards are hand-harvested and mostly de-stemmed, though there is up to 25% whole cluster in 2015. The couple prefers to stick to their traditional Burgundian vinification to ensure transparent terroir expression. Gentle extraction (with alternated punch-downs and pump-overs in 2014 and only pump-overs in 2015) and a relatively short élevage of 12 months in older barrels (228 or 350 liters) or foudres (30hl) is the rule of thumb for these Beaujolais Crus.

You can’t ignore the “gryphées,” or seashell fossils, that crunch underfoot as you walk through Pierre Durdilly’s vineyards in Moulin-à-Vent, as if the ocean were just over the next gentle hill. The father-son team of Pierre and Guillaume tend their older vines on very steep, granite-rich hillsides, with beneficial herbs planted between rows to both prevent erosion and combat pests. Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in cement tanks. Wines are aged in large, older foudre, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Estate vineyards are located on steep hillsides at 1,050 feet and higher in altitude; "Paquet" (parcel or package in French) is a selection of vines from sandy, clay-rich soils. Silky, smooth, seductive: a refined Gamay wine with a good amount of spice and soul.

In 2011, Yohan LARDY came back to his native village of Fleurie after spending almost one year in Chile working for an estate during harvest and winemaking. Yohan is 27 year old, he obtained a BTS Viti-Oeno in Macon-Davaye, he is completely passionate by winemaking. In 2011, he decided to buy 2 hectares of vines in Moulin à Vent, the lieu-dit "Les Michelons", one of the best terroir of the appellation, on the top of the hill, very steep with a southern exposure. One part of the vines were planted in 1911 and the other part in 1950. 2012 is his first vintage.

This well-balanced wine has typical aromas of violet, roses with an emphasis on fruit, very spicy (cinnamon) and floral notes. The mouth is full, well rounded, displaying berries and cherries notes, roses, a long finish with soft tannins. Pair with grille red meat, lamb legs, games.

Coming from a small vineyard of one acre located in Les Bruyeres near the Cru Fleure in Beaujolais. Handpicked chardonnay, fermented and ged in stainless steel vats. Very fresh and clean and well-balanced to pair with cheese, salad or fish.

In the hamlet of Le Breuil, deep in the southern Beaujolais and perched above a narrow creek, the Domaine Dupeuble has been running almost continuously since 1512. This wine, imported by Kermit Lynch, is known as "Coteau Belle-Vue" in Europe.

While the new release of its lighter and fruitier sibling, Beaujolais Nouveau, will make it to our shores the third Thursday in November, this Beaujolais from Dupeuble is more of a serious red wine that will delight throughout the holiday season. The nose is rife with forward red fruits: cherry, raspberry, strawberry, plum and a touch of cranberry. The fruits are the focus upon tasting, with the red berries mixed in with good acidity and harmonious balance. Raspberry and cherry lambic come to mind. The forward fruits and easy acidity will pair well with rich holiday meals and help cut through some of the lush sauces and gravies.

eROBERT PARKER 90 POINTS: "The 2014 Fleurie, matured in old foudres between two and fifteen years old, has a very intense bouquet with shimmering red plum and cranberry aromas, becoming floral with a gorgeous candied note developing underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, pure cranberry and raspberry fruit pierced by a saline seam that lends it tension towards the poised finish. What a wonderful Fleurie from Jean Foillard!"

VINOUSMEDIA 91 POINTS: "Bright violet. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, candied flowers and minerals show a touch of licorice in the background. Juicy and pure, offering very good clarity and lift to the red fruit and lavender pastille flavors. Shows very good focus on the mineral-dominated finish, which is framed by gentle, fine-grained tannins." -- Josh Raynolds

VINOUSMEDIA 93 POINTS: "Deep ruby. Sappy cherry and dark berries on the powerfully scented nose; hints of floral pastilles and exotic spices build in the glass. Highly energetic and appealingly sweet, offering palate-staining black raspberry and candied rose flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Takes a turn to darker fruits on the gently tannic finish, which hangs on with impressive tenacity and echoing florality." -- Josh Raynolds

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Deep, bright red. Red currant and strawberry aromas, with a floral nuance and a touch of medicinal herbs. A straightforward, lively wine that offers tangy red fruit flavors and a touch of bitterness. Finishes dry, with gentle grip and an echo of peppery herbs. " International Wine Cellars

After a couple of harvests abroad and numerous years of wine school, Justin broke ground on his own label in 2015. Thus far, he’s spent most of his adult life working for his famous father, Jean-Louis Dutraive, and like his father’s wines, his are gentle and fun, with seriousness brewing within. Thankfully, this apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Wise beyond his twenty-two years, Justin openly shares his ideas with his legendary dad and follows his advice every step of the way. The relationship between them is one of mutual respect and admiration, so they seem like very good friends and are an absolute pleasure to be around.

Crisp, Dry, Elegant and Aromatic, Floral, Fruity, Light, Mineral

CERTIFIED ORGANIC SINCE 2009

Winemaker's Notes
"This crisp, fruit-forward and juicy wine has expressive aromas and flavors of ripe red berries, with nice heft in the mouth, and mineral and spice notes. Most red meats and grilled or roasted white meats, especially those prepared with savory herbs or spices."

Jean Paul Brun is located in Charnay, a village in the Southern Beaujolais just north of Lyons, in a beautiful area known as the "Region of Golden Stones". Brun is the owner and winemaker at this 40-acre family estate and has attracted the attention of the French and American press for the wonderfully fruity and delicate wines he produces.

Brun wants to make "old-style" Beaujolais and his vinification differs from the prevailing practices in the region. He believes that the charm of Gamay's fruit is best expressed by the grapes' indigenous yeasts, rather than by adding industrial yeast. Virtually all Beaujolais is now made by adding a particular yeast during fermentation.

Brun's view is that Beaujolais drinks best at a lower degree of alcohol and that there is no need to systematically add sugar to the must (chaptalize) to reach alcohol levels of 12 to 13 degrees. So he chaptalizes minimally or not at all - depending on the vintage and the cuvée. His Beaujolais is made to be pleasurable - light, fruity and delicious - not an artificially inflated wine that shines at tasting competitions.

Only a minimal amount of S02 is used at bottling to keep the wine fresh and "headache-free". Fermentation naturally produces a lot of CO2, which acts as protection against oxidation during aging; leaving some in the wine at bottling time also helps to keep it fresh. Filtration is also minimal so that the wine keeps its original fruit and aromas. Brun’s wines are not ‘blockbusters’ in the sense of ‘big.’ The emphasis is not on weight, but on fruit: Beaujolais as it once was and as it should be.

This cuvee takes the Vin de France appellation, because the Beaujolais' governing body decided to do away with the Vin de Pays designation in Beaujolais, leaving only the appellations and Vin de France. The wine is still almost all from the cru of Morgon, with a little bit of A.O.C. Beaujolais as well.