Wine Offerings: Post

Beaujolais’s Pleasure of Now: Cru Moulin-à-Vent Wine Finds a Balance Between the Cerebral and the Carnal. Eight Producers in a Dozen Wines.

Saturday Sips: A Taste of Moulin-à-Vent

Come as you are; come any time that’s convenient for you during our business hours to sample selection from this week’s selections. Our staff will be on hand to discuss nuances of the wines, the terroirs reflected, and the producers.

Elie


The word ‘truism’ is rarely used with wine, a wondrous world where there as many exceptions as there are rules. One such example is price points: Whereas a ten dollar bottle of well-made wine is a better bargain than a hundred dollar bottle of flawed wine, in general, less expensive wines tend to be linear, intended to showcase a vineyard’s fruit and are meant to be consumed young. Pricier wines are constructed for the long haul and will improve markedly if allowed to mature under ideal conditions—for a year, two years, ten years and so on, depending  on the label. They are complex wines that I have always considered to be ‘liquid memories.’ Intended to be consumed on special occasions—or in some case, being so special of themselves that consuming them becomes the occasion.

And now, the exception: Cru Beaujolais villages, which has in recent years striven to provide both modes of expression with equal intensity—wines that can be enjoyed in their heady, sensuous youth and will also mature with marked dignity.

Gamay, when grown in granitic soils and handled with expertise in the cellar, is the rare grape that can fulfill either destiny. Syrah-like in warm seasons and more like Pinot Noir when the vintage is cooler, Beaujolais’s workhorse monarch displays a chameleon-like versatility that shines in this region brighter than anywhere else in the world.

This week, we’ll focus a lens on Moulin-à-Vent, one of ten Cru-level appellations. Iconic both in terms of image and durability, the ‘windmill’ appellation is known for terroirs containing streaks of manganese winding through the granitic soils, and this mineral is said to augment the tannins naturally produced by Gamay.

Beaujolais’s Gamay: Wines of Contemplation and Complexity, Yet Provide Immediate Gratification.

‘The pleasure of now’ seems to be a 21st century operative, and when lighting delivery is the mandatory expectation, Gamay’s ability to deliver the goods within a year or so of bottling have it well-positioned to fill this need. Long appreciated for its hedonistic burst of fresh, grapey quaffability, Gamay’s more brooding face was kept as a guarded secret by the Cru cult, who often turned their noses up at plebian versions and relished in the meatier versions grown in hallowed vineyards.

But these noses should have been placed in the glass. Much of Beaujolais’ signature aromatics come from carbonic maceration, a method embraced (at least in part) by most Beaujolaisien winemakers in all appellations. In this style, intact grape bunches ferment inside their own skins with carbon dioxide used as a catalyst, either introduced or occurring naturally as a byproduct of fermentation. Once the alcohol reaches 2%, the grapes burst and release their juice naturally, whereupon a normal yeast fermentation finishes the job.

Even wines only partially fermented via carbonic maceration show bright fruit with aromas that bounce from the glass. A hybridization of these two faces of Gamay, which some call ‘street carbo,’ has as many varieties as there are experimentative winemakers. The complexity in the top-shelf Beaujolais are the result of superior fruit and—especially among practitioners of ‘Burgundy-style’ Beaujolais—from the oak-aging that is becoming more common.

Either way, the 21st century movement in Beaujolais is a step away from wines that could, even in the most cynical interpretation, be called ‘standardized.’

The Beaujolais Underground: A Veritable Mosaic of Soil

The biggest error a Beaujolais neophyte makes is an expectation one-dimensional predictability. To be fair, the mistake easy to make based on the region’s reliance on Gamay, a grape that elsewhere may produce simple and often mediocre wine.

In Beaujolais’ wondrous terroir, however, it thrives.

In fact, this terroir is so complex that it nearly defies description. But Inter-Beaujolais certainly tried: Between 2009 and 2018, they commissioned a colossal field study to establish a detailed cartography of the vineyards and to create a geological snapshot of the exceptional richness found throughout Beaujolais’ 12 appellations.

Beaujolais may not be geographically extensive, but geologically, it’s a different story. The region bears witness to 500 million years of complex interaction between the eastern edge of the Massif Central and the Alpine phenomenon of the Tertiary period, leaving one of the richest and most complex geologies in France. Over 300 distinct soil types have been identified. Fortunately, Gamay—the mainstay grape, accounting for 97% of plantings—flourishes throughout these myriad terroirs. In the south, the soil may be laden with clay, and sometimes chalk; the landscape is characterized by rolling hills. The north hosts sandy soils that are often granitic in origin. This is the starting point wherein each appellation, and indeed, each lieu-dit draws its individual character.

There are ten Crus, the top red wine regions of Beaujolais, all of them located in the hillier areas to the north, which offer freer-draining soils and better exposure, thereby helping the grapes to mature more fully.

Courtesy of Wine Scholar Guild

A Palette of Ten Crus

Beaujolais is a painter’s dream, a patchwork of undulating hills and bucolic villages. It is also unique in that relatively inexpensive land has allowed a number of dynamic new wine producers to enter the business. In the flatter south, easy-drinking wines are generally made using technique known as carbonic maceration, an anaerobic form of closed-tank fermentation that imparts specific, recognizable flavors (notably, bubblegum and Concord grape). Often sold under the Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages appellations, such wines tend to be simple, high in acid and low in tannin, and are ideal for the local bistro fare. Beaujolais’ suppler wines generally come from the north, where the granite hills are filled with rich clay and limestone. These wines are age-worthy, and show much more complexity and depth. The top of Beaujolais’ classification pyramid is found in the north, especially in the appellations known as ‘Cru Beaujolais’: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié and Saint-Amour.

Each are distinct wines with definable characteristics and individual histories; what they have in common beyond Beaujolais real estate is that they are the pinnacle of Gamay’s glory in the world of wine.

Cru Moulin-à-Vent: Syrah-like in warm vintages, Pinot Noir-like in Cooler vintages

To the ten crus of Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent is what Moulin Rouge is to Parisian cabarets: First among equals. Of course, that equality is a matter of taste—some consumers prefer floral Fleurie and charming Chiroubles to the full-bodied, tannic-structured Moulin-à-Vent and it’s no secret that Georges Duboeuf manages to sell a hundred thousand cases of Beaujolais Nouveau a year.

Forgetting the forgettable and concentrating on the myriad styles of Cru Beaujolais, nowhere is the evidence of terroir—the site-specific contributions of geology, sun-exposure and rainfall—more obvious than in Moulin-à-Vent. Although each appellation works with a single grape variety, Gamay, the results range from light, glorified rosé to densely layered, richly concentrated reds that rival Burgundian Pinot Noir cousins from the most storied estates.

Moulin-à-Vent is unusual for a number of reasons, and among them is the fact that there is no commune or village from which it takes its name. Like the Moulin Rouge, the appellation is named for the ‘moulin’—windmill—that sits atop the hill that overlooks the south- and southeast-facing vineyards. The most outrageous reality of the Cru, however, is that the wine owes its structure and quality to poison: Manganese, which runs in veins throughout the pink granite subsoil, is toxic to grapevines and results in sickly vines that struggle to leaf out and produce small clusters of tiny grapes. It is the concentration of the juice in these grapes that gives Moulin-à-Vent a characteristic intensity unknown in the other crus of Beaujolais, where manganese is not present. It also gives the wine the foundation of phenolic compounds required for age-worthiness; Moulin-à-Ventis among a very select few of Beaujolais wines that can improve for ten, and even twenty years in the bottle.


Domaine de Vernus

After thirty years in the prosaic world of insurance brokerage, Frédéric Jametton decided to do a rakehell turn on his career trajectory. Having been born in Dijon and lived in Burgundy for most of his life, he had become an enlightened wine lover. Not only that, but his former profession brought him in contact with numerous members of the wine community. At the end of 2017, he realized that the time had come to invest in a winery.

Initially looking in the south, he became convinced that the heat spikes brought on by climate change made it unsuitable for the long haul, and after discussions with his friend Guillaume Rouget of Flagey-Echézeaux (who agreed to come on board as a consultant) Jametton settled on Beaujolais, piecing together 30 acres of vineyards acquired from 12 different proprietors, and is gradually restructuring parcels with a view to more sustainable farming.

Among his more valuable pieces of real estate is Les Vérillats in Moulin-à-Vent, where the sandy granitic soils are rich in iron oxide, copper and manganese.

Winemaker Guillaume Rouget, left, with Frédéric Jametton, Domaine de Vernus

Thanks in part to Rouget’s influence, vinification is conducted along Burgundian lines, with around 70% of the grapes destemmed and fermented in stainless steel with élevage in recently-used, high-quality Burgundy barrels for some 10–11 months. Jametton’s ultimate goal, echoed by Rouget, is to offer a range of wines that brings out the best of the different terroirs while respecting the character and personality of each Cru and each plot. With Rouget in charge of the vineyards and winemaking process, Frédéric remains at the management helm and spearheads marketing.

Domaine de Vernus, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ‘Les Vérillats’ ($64)
Les Vérillats lieu-dit is considered one of the top terroirs in Moulin and is known for producing small, concentrated grapes, even from vines of the relatively young age of 27. The harvest is by hand; destemming is 100% and cold maceration is followed by three weeks of natural fermentation and then, aging in oak barrels, of which 11% new. The wine shows translucent purples with a fine balance of bright red fruit and lightly glinting acidity.

 

 

 


Domaine de Vernus, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ‘Les Vérillats’ ($162) en magnum
The above wine in magnum, which will allow a fuller and more carefully controlled maturation process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Château du Moulin-à-Vent

Château du Moulin-à-Vent has a history as unique and fascinating as the wine. In the late 1700s, Philiberte Pommier discovered that certain plots on her estate yielded better wines than others, and set out to understand the geology that underscored a self-evident truth. She began to tailor her winemaking to individual lieux-dits in her property (then called Château des Thorins), and in 1862, Pommier’s wines were deemed the best in the Mâcon region at the Universal Exhibition of London. At the time, Philiberte Pommier was 99 years old.

Édouard Parinet & Brice Laffond

Today, the estate encompasses nearly a hundred acres and covers some of the appellation’s finest climats—Les Vérillats, Le Champ de Cour, La Rochelle—with an average vine age of over forty years. The pink granite soil is rich in iron oxide, copper and manganese, and since 2009, under the new ownership of the Parinet family, investment in the winemaking facilities and the vineyards has resulted in plot-specific signature wines.

Château du Moulin-à-Vent, 2019 Moulin-à-Vent ‘Les Vérillats’ ($57)
Lieu-dit Vérillats is a high-altitude, east-facing site with only a thin layer of granite sands at the top of a granite mount—poor and porous soil that yields around 25 hectoliter/hectare. These conditions lend themselves to a serious, nearly tense wine with iron notes and graphite. These harsher notes are leavened by bright savory fruit and finely-textured tannins with some dark chocolate on the finish.

 

 

 

 


Château du Moulin-à-Vent, 2019 Moulin-à-Vent ‘La Rochelle’ ($72)
Lieu-dit La Rochelle sits on a côte, and hosts a thin layer of granite sands over very fine clays. Average yield here are 15hl/ha. with southerly exposures and an altitude of 920 ft. The wine is perfumed with summer strawberries and lifted notes of white pepper with fine and supple tannins. The finish excels; it is sharp and focused and showcases the site’s minerality.

 

 

 

 

 


Château du Moulin-à-Vent, 2019 Moulin-à-Vent ‘Champ de Cour’ ($58)
Lieu-dit Champ de Cour sit at the bottom of the hill overlooked by the iconic windmill; its soils are varied forms of eroded granite and white alluvial clays. The lower elevation tends to mean deeper soil, so water retention is better. The wine is spicy and opulent with Moulin-à-Vent’s muscular typicity.

 

 

 

 

 


Thibault Liger-Belair
Domaine des Pierres Roses 

Winemaking has been the legacy of Liger-Belair family for a quarter of a millennium. Prior to establishing his own domain, Thibault Liger-Belair studied oenology, worked for a communications firm in Paris and started an internet company to discover and sell high quality wines. Still, the vines beckoned, and in 2001, at the age of 26, he returned to them. The following year saw his first harvest of Nuits-Saint-Georges, and in 2003, he expanded into Richebourg Grand Cru, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru and Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Petits Monts. In 2009, he ranged farther afield, into Beaujolais, and now produces Beaujolais-Villages and several Moulin-à-Vent wines.

Thibault Liger-Belair

Although his Moulin wines are labeled as Liger-Belair, he speaks of his journey to Beaujolais under the name ‘Domaine des Pierres Rose’:

“Having completed a part of my studies in Beaujolais region, I have always been very attracted by the beauty of this region, its landscapes but also the quality and diversity of its soils. I then asked myself the question: why not create a Burgundian model by isolating each terroir within the same appellation in order to try to understand it and then make the most of its identity? My ever-growing curiosity has always made me want to understand other soils and other grape varieties, so that I can start again what I had built in Nuits-Saint-Georges in 2001, in Moulin-à-Vent in 2009.

To create the estate and buy the vines I have already tried to understand the different types of soil by asking the winemakers, by tasting the wines, but above all by walking through the vineyard. What surprised me first of all was to see so many differences in such a small area, it reminded me of the Burgundian terroirs. However, almost none of the producers were making differences between each of their vintages. Indeed, if they have vines in Moulin à Vent, they make a Moulin à Vent cuvée without isolating the different types of soil by different vintages. It’s hard to understand when you have a Burgundian approach that is based on the principle of isolating each of the plots.

So, I had the idea to acquire the best plots of land in the area, all located on the historical hillside of the appellation overhung by the Moulin à Vent, with the objective: to understand and to produce wines that stick to their climat as well as their grape variety: Gamay. The first plots were bought in 2008, in order to produce the first vintage in 2009. We have reproduced the same working methods as the ones as in Nuits-Saint-Georges by reintroducing ploughing while removing all weedkillers. We converted all the plots of land from the first year to organic and Biodynamic cultivation.”

The soil in his Moulin-à-Vent property is shallow (less than 20 inches deep) and composed primarily of granitic sand and quartz, and about half the vines of the 35 acres were planted between 1910 and 1955. His signature wine, for this reason, is ‘Les Vieilles Vignes’—the ‘old vines.’

Thibault Liger-Belair, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ‘Champs de Cour’ ($54)Champs de Cour is a tiny, south-facing parcel of 80 year old vines and produces a wine that typically shows its quality even when young. Harvesting is done by hand with between 40-50% left in whole bunches, following which the must is left to ferment in open vats for three weeks. Extraction is gentle and ageing is carried out in oak barrels that have seen between one and three wines for 18 months or more. The wine shows a well-balanced palate with black cherries, tar and blueberry through a chewy finish.

 

 


Thibault Liger-Belair ‘Vieilles Vignes’, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ($48)
A cuvée blending nine old vine parcels of old vines located in a belt around the Moulin à Vent hill. The wine offers exotic aromas of spiced candied cherries with a rustic undertow of damp earth; bright, acidic with a firm tannic structure and long, sweet finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thibault Liger-Belair ‘Centenaire’, 2015 Moulin-à-Vent ($250) en magnum
This wine originates in three distinct terroirs planted to Gamay between 1872 and 1880, pre-dating the scourge of phylloxera. One plot is the south of La Teppe, one in Les Bois Maréchaux in the north and one in Caves, to the west of the hill. Bottled only in magnums, it shows a distinctly mineral-driven nose and opens in the glass to reveal brooding dark fruit evolving into tertiary notes of forest floor and leather.

 

 

 

 


Thibault Liger-Belair ‘Centenaire’, 2014 Moulin-à-Vent ($160) en magnum
As rare as it is precise in focus, this ‘unicorn’ wine is made from vines that predate phylloxera; three distinct terroirs planted to Gamay between 1872 and 1880. One plot is the south of La Teppe, one in Les Bois Maréchaux in the north and one in Caves, to the west of the hill. 2014, as the practice, is bottled only in magnums.

 

 

 

 

 


Domaine de Rochegrès

Albert Bichot owns six domains in the heart of five great vinicultural regions; each estate cultivates its own land using with sustainable practices and employs a dedicated winemaking team devoted to that domain alone.

Albert Bichot, Domaine de Rochegrès

Bichot’s 13 acres within the 1631 acre Moulin-à-Vent appellation are located at the heart of one of the 18 recognized single vineyards, Rochegrès, meaning ‘grey rock’ As the name suggests, the granitic parent rock is visible at the surface of the soil in the vineyards. These vines benefit from mainly south-eastern exposure and thrive in very pure, lean pink granitic soil, forcing them to plunge their roots deep in search of the nutrients they need.

Domaine de Rochegrès, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ‘Rochegrès’ ($48)
The wine, taken from the oldest vines in the Rochegrès lieu-dit, is 50% fermented in 350-liter barrels (20% new) and 50% in stainless steel vats; then 100% aged in stainless steel vats. It displays upfront notes of ripe cherry evolving toward forest bracken and dried flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Domaine de Rochegrès, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ($23)
The wine shows a classic bouquet of smoky black cherry and blackberry followed by clove, floral notes and earth. Some weight on the palate with a pleasant, but still firm, tannic structure and fresh acidity and a long, spicy finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Domaine des Terres Dorées
Jean-Paul Brun

With a name from a fairy tale (‘House in the Land of the Golden Stones’), Domaine des Terres Dorées is a 150-acre vineyard located in Charnay, just north of Lyon. Owner/winemaker Jean Paul Brun is a champion of ‘old-style Beaujolais’, and by ‘old’, he means an era before pesticides and herbicides, and especially, a time when native yeasts alone were used to ferment.

Jean-Paul Brun, Domaine des Terres Dorées

He says: “Virtually all Beaujolais is now made by adding a particular strain of industrial yeast known as 71B. It’s a laboratory product made in Holland from a tomato base, and when you taste Beaujolais with banana and candy aromas, 71B is the culprit. 71B produces a beverage, but without authenticity or charm.”

Brun also insists 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%.

“My Beaujolais is made to be pleasurable,” he maintains. “Light, fruity and delicious, not an artificially inflated wine that is only meant to shine at tasting competitions.”

“The emphasis is not on weight, but on fruit,” he adds. “Beaujolais as it once was and as it should be.”

Domaine des Terres Dorées, 2020 Moulin-à-Vent ($27)
This wine is exemplary of ‘old school’ Moulin; allowed the longest maceration of any Jean Paul Brun cuvées, it ages in oak for ten months. It comes from Brun’s younger vines, which are still on the order of forty years old. The wine opens with scents of berry compote, licorice, sweet soil tones and spices while offering layered and compact mid-palate with fine depth and plenty of sweet, powdery tannin.

 

 

 

 


Famille Chermette
Domaine du Vissoux

When a winemaker tries to bottle something for everyone, he/she is not always successful. The father, daughter and son team of Martine, Pierre-Marie and Jean-Etienne Chermette of Domaine du Vissoux are the exception to prove the rule, producing high quality white, red and Beaujolais rosé from crus such as Brouilly, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent, Saint-Amour, Crémants de Bourgogne as well as hand crafted fruit liqueurs, cassis and vine peach with ginger.

Jean-Étienne, Pierre-Marie and Martine Chermette

In 2002, Martine and Pierre-Marie Chermette acquired the La Rochelle plot in Moulin-à-Vent, a high-altitude lieu-dit with pink granitic soils and ideal south/southeast exposure. From this beautifully situated vineyard, the family wrests wines that live up to their reputation as a beacon of Beaujolais excellence, able to broadcast the region’s terroirs with authority: Old vines, diligent but traditional vinification and élevage in foudre are the rudiments of their approach.

Pierre-Marie Chermette Vissoux ‘Les Trois Roches’, 2021 Moulin-à-Vent ($33)
Famille Chermette considers ‘The Three Rocks’ to be the ideal alliance between finesse and power. “The three different plots of vines we use for this cuvée give a wine that is full and balanced: Rochegrès give finesse, Roche Noire liveliness and fruit while La Rochelle contributes power.” The wine’s aromatic palate ranges from ripe red currants through soft pie spice and finishes with a nice mineral snap.

 

 

 


Domaine de la Sionnière
Estelle & Thomas Patenôtre

* Diochon is a branded Moulin-à-Vent cuvée from Domaine de la Sionnière; these wines were previously released under the Domaine Diochon label.

Along with his wife Estele, Thomas Patenôtre created the Domaine de la Sionnière in 1996, beginning with 15 vineyard acres in Romanèche-Thorins. Today, it covers more than thirty acres, with plots in some of the top Beaujolais lieux-dits, including Champ de Cour, Le Petits Morier, Les Greneriers and  Les Perelles.

Estelle & Thomas Patenôtre

Moulin-à-Vent holds a place close to the Patenôtres’ heart. Says Thomas “Moulin-à-Vent stands out from other Beaujolais appellations, and the reason that some refer to it the ‘Lord of Beaujolais’ are to be sought in a glass. These are fine, complex and powerful wines with has superb aging potential, owing its intensity of exposure on the best hillsides, where the granite subsoil is rich in trace elements. Our role is to ensure that we create a harmonious balance between flavors, aromatics and tannic composition in order to obtain an authentic product. To achieve this end we pick at maximum, between the end of August and the end of September depending on the year. The grapes are then placed in vats without prior destemming in order to undergo the initial phase of carbonic maceration, characteristic of Beaujolais wines. Following this first stage, which lasts around ten days, the grapes are pressed and vatted to undergo alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation. We’ll hold the wine in air-tight tanks for six to eight months before bottling.”

Domaine de la Sionnière ‘Diochon – Cuvée Vieilles Vignes’, 2021 Moulin-à-Vent ($31)
Crafted from vines planted in 1920, 1950 and the 1960s, it remains a benchmark of the old Diochon style, defined by well-integrated tannins without heaviness and lifted by fragrant fruit and floral aromas. The 2021 is true to this mission statement, over-performing for the vintage, filled with lush aromatics of sweet berries and plums mingled with peonies and potpourri.

 

 

 

 


Domaine de Roche-Guillon
Bruno and Valérie Copéret

With five generations working the same hillside, a certain metaphysical pas de deux takes place between terroir and wine grower. Add a third party (Bruno Copéret’s wife Valérie) and Domaine de Roche-Guillon is ready for the challenges of marketing and climate change that lie ahead. The Copéret vineyards spread over 22 rolling acres of granite-based soil; they enjoy a south facing exposure, which—combined with altitude of over 1100 feet—ensure the vines yield grapes with considerable ripeness.

Bruno and Valérie Copéret, Domaine de Roche-Guillon

Domaine de Roche-Guillon, 2021 Moulin-à-Vent ($23)
The plots to elaborate this wine are located between the Vauxrenard commune and Émeringes, expressing the granitic soils of Vauxrenard and the sandy-clay of Émeringes. Half the selected grapes were fermented in whole bunches and half were destemmed before spending twelve days macerating at 84° F. With a floral potpourri on the nose and maraschino cherry and wild blackberry on the palate, the wine demonstrates typical muscularity of Moulin-à-Vent with gripping tannins, concentration and energy.

 

 

 


Beaujolais Vintage Journal

The 2021 Vintage: Chaotic Weather Allow for a Sugar/Acidity/Tannin Balance Different from Previous Sunny Years

A warm, humid winter prompted an early budbreak in Beaujolais—and that always puts growers at risk. In fact, April produced a vicious bout of frost followed by a snow-dump that affected new growth. A slight reprieve ensued in June, which allowed for a successful flowering, but heavy rain settled back in throughout July and August. The grapes did not dry out until late August, and the alert against rot and disease was a feature of the entire season.

Harvest came later than usual but was a success; the fruit remained fresh and aromatic with good acidity, although overall, 2021 wines are lighter in both body and alcohol compared to other years.

The 2020 Vintage: ‘Solar’ Vintages Continue, Round and Concentrated Wines

If you can invent a way to leave Covid out of the equation, 2020 was a wonderful vintage throughout Beaujolais. The growing season was warm, beginning with a mild and frost-free spring, which developed into a hot and sunny summer without hail or disease. Drought—a persistent worry in the region—was not as severe as it might have been, and by harvest-time the majority of grapes were in fine health with rich, ripe, almost Rhône-like flavors—raspberries, sour cherry and even garrigue; the local scrub comprised of bay, lavender, rosemary and juniper.

2020 yields were low due to the dry conditions, leading to concentrated juice and wines able to benefit from time in the cellar.

But, of course, you can’t leave Covid out of the equation: Normally the release of Beaujolais Nouveau occurs on the third Thursday of every November, but in pandemic-dominated 2020, the normal celebrations could not take place and producers instead chose to release the wines a week earlier than usual in order to allow for international shipping times.

The 2019  Vintage: The Hotter Rhône Weather Drifts North

As 2021, unexpectedly sharp April frosts cut yields throughout the region. The summer then heated up, with reports of temperature highs exceeding 104F. The ensuing drought further cut into yields, and adding insult to injury, hailstorms struck in mid-August. These storm clouds had a silver lining, however—they concentrated the juice within the fruit that remained on the vines. Although a heartbreaking loss to farmers who rely on quantity, the resulting wine is very intense with nicely balanced acids. The top estates produced cellar-worthy gems—a marvelous representation of what the appellation can offer.


Notebook …

Spoiled For Choice: More Than One Way To Make Beaujolais

The truism about the Germans and Riesling holds equal validity in Beaujolais with Gamay: They each have but a single grape, but build better wines from it than anyone else on earth. This is not to suggest that Beaujolais and its ten fascinating Grand Crus are homogenous—the opposite is true. Each region, each climat and each winemaker provides slight variations in terroir and technique.

Nowhere does the dual nature of Beaujolais appear more profoundly than in the choice faced by winemakers to vinify in the traditional ‘Burgundian’ way, or to rely on the semi-carbonic macerations that produce the fruity, ridiculously early-drinking Nouveau-style wines. Both techniques have their place in Beaujolais, and both produce strikingly different flavor profiles.

Traditional Burgundian-style production relies on destalking and crushing the grapes prior to fermentation, a mean of opening up the fruit up and bringing out the tannins. Only then does fermentation start, either through natural yeasts on the grape skins or from a commercial additive. In most cases, wines made this way in Beaujolais will also have wood aging. Alternately, semi-carbonic maceration involves fermentation that starts in closed containers. The wine is then transferred to traditional fermentation vats and yeast is added to continue the process. While some of the wines will go into wood, many will continue to age in tanks, which highlight the fruit and lower the tannins.


Moulin-à-Vent is Capable of Long-Aging, Pleasurable While Young

‘Decanter Magazine’ recently staged a vertical tasting of Château du Moulin-à-Vent, vintages 2010-2019 (and published in the July 2022 issue), believing that the revitalization of the estate by the father-and-son team of Jean-Jacques and Édouard Parinet (and their brilliant winemaker Brice Laffond) has been so successful that they were willing to give Master of Wine Andy Howard a crack at determining if all the hype around the ageability of Moulin-à-Vent is warranted. Wines from 1996 and 1976 were also tasted.

No cliffhangers here: Howard MW’s opinion was a resounding ‘yes’.

As most Beaujolais fans know, the wines of the ten Crus of Beaujolais can be among the world’s most terroir-expressive. Subtle shifts in sun exposure and soil structure from commune to commune can be detected in the glass, even among those with untrained palates. The wines from Château du Moulin-à-Vent are traditional standouts for their robust texture, deep flavor and age-worthiness made possible by Jacques and Édouard Parinet’s adherence to Burgundian winemaking methods and their steadfast refusal to employ semi-carbonic maceration. Because of that, their wines reveal the best of Beaujolais’ most powerful Cru, the wind-funnel slopes of Moulin-à-Vent.

According to Howard MW: “The tasting certainly demonstrated a distinct shift in style with the change in oak management. Whereas the older vintages (although with undoubted aging potential) demonstrated a firmer tannic structure, the more recent vintages were much more expressive, floral, delicate and refined. However, there is every reason to suspect that these wines will deliver the same ageing capacity as the more ‘traditional’ style.”

 

 

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Posted on 2025.02.01 in France, Wine-Aid Packages

 

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