Appellation: Fleurie-Poncié
Cuvée:
Colour: Red
Grapes: Gamay
About: From old goblet-trained vines at the top of Poncié, along the ridge high above the village, and one of the celebrated vineyards of Fleurie. Inspired by Jules Chauvet’s fermentation notes from 1972.
Vines
Location: one of 13 named vineyards in Fleurie
Size: a few rows
Age: planted some in 1970, some in 1950, some in 1990
Soils: pink granite with veins of quartz, called lardons by locals
Exposition: south
Altitude: 400m
Training: gobelet except for 1990 planting which is trellised
Farming philosophy: Andrew describes it catchily as “mindful neglect”, wildflowers, with a scratch once a year, then a trim just before harvest, to allow soil to get water, no trimming, let growth dangle then give the vines a man bun.
Average yield hl/ha: 35
Climate: continental, increasingly hot summers
Winemaking
Chauvet believed that sulfur interferes with the enzyme process. So with his fermentation notes from the 1972 vintage as a touchstone, the hand-harvested grapes, after being chilled overnight to 12ºC, were placed into a concrete vat under cover of CO2 and are left untouched for 21 days without pump-overs or punch-downs for what Jules Chauvet called a fermentation aromatique. After 21 days the vat was emptied and pressed, with the must finishing fermentation in concrete vats before 10 months with fine lies in a 35hL tronconic wooden vat from Stockinger for suppleness and texture. Bottled unfined and unfiltered under DIAM 10 with minimal effective SO2.
Vintage Notes 2020
A warm year, but unlike 2019 when it was very hot at harvest so was hard to get the results wanted, 2020 was much fresher at harvest, which gives width as well as weight. Great for reds, spectacular for whites, as good as 2014.
Date harvested: 7 sept
Yield hl/ha:
Date bottled: 2022-02
Bottles produced: 2,453
Alcohol %: 12,3
SO2 Total: 56
Tasting: rich cherry, plum, violet, sweet pepper, lovely sappy acidity and tannins.