Appellation: Brouilly
Cuvée:
Colour: Red
Grapes: Gamay
About: To define Fred’s style, this is one of the most savoury of Crus Beaujolais, has much in common with the wines from the north in the Côtes de Nuits. Pulsating fruit and visceral texture, this is not about sheen, it’s a journey into pleasure.
Vines
Location: 50 metres from the boundary with the Côte de Brouilly
Size: 1,5 ha
Age: planted in 1968
Soils: sandy granite
Exposition: north facing but sees the sun all day
Altitude: 300m
Training: gobelet
Farming: organic
Average yield hl/ha: 45
Climate: continental, usually cold winters, warm, sometimes hot summers but who knows these days.
Winemaking
Ferments in concrete tank, using whole bunches, natural yeasts, by classic semi-carbonic maceration, without sulfur. On skins for 5 days, then pressed and returned to stainless steel tank to finish and age for 9 months. A gram of sulfur may be added after the malo. The wine is very lightly filtered because Fred thinks it’s bottled too early to have fallen naturally clear. A gram of sulfur is also usually added at bottling.
Vintage Notes 2019
Heatwave year but there was some rainfall to balance the heat.
Date harvested: 2019-09-10
Yield hl/ha: 40
Date bottled: 2020-12
Bottles produced: 3,000
Alcohol %: 13
SO2 Total: 41
Closure: cork
Tasting: vigorous and energetic, lovely grip and texture from fine, gentle tannins, nice vegetal fruit, lovely forest berry fruits, very cool. Very fine.
Vintage Notes 2020
Mixed bag of weather but very precocious, very hot summer and early ripening, giving fleshy wines
Date harvested: end August early September
Yield hl/ha: 40
Date bottled: 2021-06-15
Bottles produced: 2,000
Alcohol %: 13
SO2 Total: 46
Tasting:
2021-11-18 – Beaujolais Nouveau day
great energy, refined, almost delicate, smokey, cassis, mineral, raspberry, sappy palate, lovely savoury red and black berry fruit, old fashioned, not obvious but fine tannins and spicy tea finish