BEAUJOLAIS/CRU

Anthony Thevenet’s interpretation of Beaujolais is a unique combination of wines from decades past and today’s trend of voluptuously fruity, early-drinking renditions with a serious edge. Anthony’s vineyard work is done strictly under organic culture. There are no treatments in their vineyards aside from copper and sulfur—both legal for organic and biodynamic farming, and accepted practices in the natural wine community; the reality is that if people in Europe didn’t spray copper or sulfur in their vineyards they wouldn’t have any grapes at all.

VINOUS 92 POINTS - "Lurid violet. Smoke- and spice-accented black raspberry and violet aromas are complemented by zesty minerals. Juicy red/dark berry flavors show very good depth and sharp delineation. Floral pastille and licorice nuances emerge with aeration and carry through the impressively persistent finish, which features easygoing tannins and resonating floral and mineral character. Here's a Beaujolais-Villages that could easily stand alongside many, if not most, Cru wines in this vintage."

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "This is light-bodied but backed by focused acidity and streamlined flavors of pure cherry and raspberry that are tangy and spicy, flanked by white pepper, tea and herb details."

ORGANIC CULTIVATION

Les Vérillats has a deep red color with an intense nose of black fruit, unusual for the appellation. The mouth is full and supple, with a delicious smoothness balanced by the freshness of the fruit and spices.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The 2018 Côte de Brouilly is still a little closed after its recent bottling, but it's a promising wine in the making, unwinding in the glass with scents of cherries, plums, licorice and rich soil tones, complemented by floral top notes that blossom as the wine sits in the glass. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, broad and satiny, with a textural, enveloping profile, a deep and voluminous core, ripe but succulent acids and powdery structuring tannins."

Michel Chignard is a modest perfectionist who has been practicing his craft for 4 decades. His son, Cédric, now oversees the domaine with as much care as his father. The Chignard family is fortunate to own vineyards in one of the best sites of the Fleurie appellation in Beaujolais; "Les Moriers" is a 8 hectare parcel that extends into Moulin-a-Vent territory. These 60 year old vines have roots that run deep accessing minerals from the granite subsoil thus imparting that classic Fleurie freshness and "gout de terroir".

This wine beautifully expresses the terroir of "Les Moriers"; it is fresh and playful, with deep ripe fruit and finesse.

Jean-Louis Dutraive represents the fifth generation of Domaine de la Grand’Cour, joining his father at the estate in 1977. The family’s total holdings comprise 10.6 hectares, farmed all organically. Fruit for the 2017 ‘Les Deduits’ comes from old vine plots, vinified in concrete and aged in oak for six months. Dark fruited and fresh, full bright, thirst-quenching acidity and silky tannins; serve slightly chilled with pizza, pasta, or tacos.

Viticulture: No herbacides or pesticides, organically farmed.

Vinification: Traditional vinification without sulfur and with natural yeast at very low temperatures. Carbonic maceration and little or no filtering.

Jean-Louis is a devout practitioner of organic viticulture and the property has been certified by ECOCERT since 2009. Harvest is done by hand and grapes are immediately placed in tank at low temperatures to begin carbonic maceration (without sulfur)
The wines of Jean-Louis Dutraive are some of the most unique aromatically and texturally in all of Beaujolais. One whiff, and the wines display an almost exotic floral and spicy aroma overlayed over lush minerally Gamay fruit, sort of like a top Morey St. Denis 1er or Grand Cru nose combined with earthy, Volnay-like fruit. There is also a textural lushness and exuberance backed up by ample structure and acid. These are substantial Beaujolais, and ones that could certainly stand up to food. They also have the requisite material to develop and evolve over the medium term, i.e. 10-12 years of aging, easily!

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.

VINOUS 93 POINTS: "Vivid ruby. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes dark berry and cherry liqueur, smoky minerals and an exotic touch of incense. Energetic blueberry and bitter cherry flavors show very good depth and pick up a hint of musky rhubarb with air. Supple, harmonious tannins add framework to an impressively long, mineral-tinged finish that leaves behind a sweet touch of dark fruit preserves."

VINOUS 92 POINTS: "Shimmering ruby. Deep-pitched, expansive aromas of ripe dark berries, cherry cola, licorice and baking spices are lifted by a smoky mineral quality. Sappy and expansive on the palate, offering intense blackberry, bitter cherry, spicecake and floral pastille flavors that slowly unfurl and become sweeter on the back half. Closes smooth, smoky and very long, with resonating spice and mineral notes and dusty, even tannins adding gentle grip."

Fresh, fruity and easy-drinking is usually what you expect from a regional Beaujolais appellation. However, Les Griottes cuvee from the duo Pierre-Marie and Martine Chermette is rather colourful and showcases plenty of substance. Made from the youngest vines of the estate, it offers ripe fruit, floral and licorice notes in a full and tight.

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 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.

We recently tasted this wine and were blown away! The fruit and floral aromatics immediately caught our attention and the fireworks began when we tasted the great purity, balance and freshness of this wine. This collaboration between the historic domaine and the great importer Kermit Lynch is absolutely delicious and represents an insane value.

This Beaujolais drinks like a much more expensive Cru Beaujolais-it's that good!! This is one of those crowd-pleasing wines everybody will enjoy.

Tradition runs deep in the family and the estate perched above a narrow creek in the hamlet of Le Breuil has been in operation since 1512. The 50-100 year old Gamay vines are grown primarily on granite-based soil with the remainder a mix of clay and limestone. The Dupeuble family tends their vineyards without any chemicals or synthetic fertilizers with the grapes harvested manually and vinified completely without SO2. The wines are fermented using natural yeasts and are bottled without filtering to preserve the intensity of flavor.

There are very few wines in the world that can compete with this quality at such a great price. This is one to stock up on and enjoy as your new house red.

This gorgeous red is deep purple in color with riveting aromatics. A farmer's market feast awaits as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries, violets and cinnamon greet the nose. On the palate, this wine is medium-bodied yet layered with a rich, smooth texture. The fruits listed above cascade across the palate with a freshness that has us asking for another glass. A knock out!

ean-Louis Dutraive joined his father at the family estate in 1977 and now represents the fifth generation of Domaine de la Grand’Cour. Their estate is comprised of 10.6 hectares of organically farmed vines. Fruit for ‘Le Clos’ comes from organically farmed 80-year-old vines and is vinified with native yeasts via carbonic maceration then aged in French oak. Silky and smooth, the wine shows flavors of cherry, cloves, and a hint of black pepper.

ORGANIC -Semi-carbonic maceration with no added sulfer and natural yeast. Vinification occurs in concrete before aging in a combination of stainless steel, neutral Burgundy barrels and demi-muid for 6 months. Wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal SO2 added. Fruit for the 2017 Chiroubles comes from 70 year old parcels, vinified semi-carbonically. Concentrated and balanced, full of lively dark fruit and age-worthy potential.

Breton’s domaine is comprised of three hectares (only 7.2 acres), eighty percent of which lies in the appellation of Morgon, around the village of Villié-Morgon. The vines range in age from 8 to 80 years, with the 80-year-old vines dedicated to the “Vieilles Vignes” cuvée. Guy’s property is located in the microclimates “Saint-Joseph” and “Grand Cras,” where the naturally low pH of the soil creates favorable conditions for Breton’s sulfur-free vinification.

Jean-Louis' “sans soufre” bottling immediately overflows with soft, beautiful exotic red and yellow fruits that comfortably rest on fresh, striking acidity. It is the most charming and perhaps the least serious wine in the range only due to its shorter drinking window. Jean-Louis is candid about the need to drink this wine within a 6-8 hour period as the wine has a wonderfully high peak of drinking. However, without SO2 the wines loses a good portion of its charm the next day. It is a rare and wonderful wine.
All of Jean-Louis’ wines are made with whole clusters, zero extraction and natural fermentations. They are made from a combination of nearly perfect farming and zen-like observation. The elevage of this wine is 60% in stainless steel and 40% in futs de chene (barrel).
Terroir: Just on the north side of the domaine, this vineyard is on a gentle slope facing north. The soil is decomposed granite that is slightly deeper than most sections of the Clos de la Coeur; in fact, it is the deepest soil in his roster of vines. It is also the coolest site, thus rendering wines with greater acidity. This combination of higher natural acidity and a cooler terroir is the reason why he chooses this site to bottle a wine completely free of Sulfur.

Jean-Marc Burgaud’s Régnié comes from a tiny, one-hectare vineyard. Bottled early to capture the fruity exuberance typical of the cru, this Beaujolais is delightfully pure, approachable and juicy, with succulent texture. Lovely with roast pork or a chard and Gruyère tart.