Appellation: Vin de France
Cuvée: Tentation
Colour: Red
Grapes: Gamay
About: One of those “mere” Vin de France that stands out in its class. It could be Beaujolais-Villages but to what end? I’ve tasted thirty year old versions from so-called poor years that are stunning. Crazy. This vineyard is also the source of Fred’s hors classe Nouveau (both 2020 and 1997 tasted great in November 2020).
Vines
Location: up the hill from the cellar on the Hauts de Huire between Quincié and Beaujeu
Size: 0,85 ha
Age: planted in 1968
Soils: granite
Exposition: south east and protected from northerly winds
Altitude: 350m
Training: gobelet
Farming: organic
Average yield hl/ha: 35
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 concrete tank to finish and age. A gram of sulfur may be added after the malo. Tanks are blended in November. Usually 20% of the following vintage is blended in at bottling (another reason for the VDF status). A gram of sulfur is usually added at bottling.
Vintage Notes 2019 December 2020 bottling
20% of 2020 is blended in to liven up the wine, and lend complexity.
Date harvested: 2019-09-06
Yield hl/ha: 35
Date bottled: 2020-12
Bottles produced: 900
Alcohol %: 13
SO2 Total: 41
Closure: cork
Tasting: earthy, cassis, raspberry, plum, very cool, fresh and vegetal crunchy, simple but not light, some volume, pure, pleasure, great texture from ripe stem tannins.
Vintage Notes 2020
Mixed bag of weather but very precocious, very hot summer and early ripening, giving fleshy wines
Date harvested: end August, very start September
Date bottled: 2021-09
Bottles produced: 4000
Alcohol %: 12,5
SO2 Total: 43
Closure: cork
Tasting: super drinkable, digestible, clean, salty vegetal cassis fruit, very refreshing, bone dry, lively, a touch of spice, old school, more about structure and refreshment than “fruit”.