Old Vine Gamay from a Rising Star in Beaujolais

Charly Thévenet “Grain & Granit” (Régnié, 2014)
$156/6-pack (~$26/bottle)

Young Charly Thévenet cut his teeth working at his family’s small, 12 acre estate in the Beaujolais Cru of Morgon. While many winemakers get their start by studying beneath their parents, Charly had a bit of an advantage. His father is none other than Jean-Paul Thévenet. In the 1980s, Jean-Paul, along with local vignerons Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton, and Jean Foillard, called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification, revolting against the glut of mass-produced and over-commercialized wine that was coming out of Beaujolais at the time.

Their philosophy starts with maintaining naturally lower yielding old vines. Synthetic herbicides and pesticides are never used. Harvests are later in the season and are rigorously sorted to remove all but the healthiest grapes. Fermentation and bottling are done with minimal doses of sulfur dioxide and no filtration. These are techniques that allow terroir, or the sense of place in the wine, to express itself naturally, without the ornamentation of novel cellar procedures.

Charly has assumed the mantle of traditional vigneron in his own 7.5 acre parcel of near eighty-year-old Gamay vines in the Cru of Régnié, situated on a plateau of seabed stone neighboring his father’s vineyards. To complement the philosophy learned from his father, he uses biodynamic farming techniques in the vineyard. The wine is fermented only with indigenous yeasts and then aged in four-year-old Burgundian barriques.

Only 525 cases produced, “Grain & Granit” is the essence of serious and seriously drinkable Cru Beaujolais. The summer of 2014 was cooler and wetter than normal but sunny days and cool nights prevailed toward the end of August and into early September. The harvested fruit was perfectly ripe, with thick skins and ideal acidity. For the best producers, this translates to wines that clearly show their Burgundy pedigree.

High-toned violet, raspberry, and cherry licorice aromatics precede a sip that is sublimely balanced between firm, fresh fruit and mineral structure. With the warm weather rolling in this week the wine has us thinking spring and the start of outdoor gatherings with friends. Drink just slightly chilled and pair with scrambled eggs and morel mushrooms or a simple baked chicken with a salad of new, tender greens.

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Posted on 2016.09.28 in France, Saturday Sips Wines, Beaujolais