Category: Beaujolais

A few miles north of Lyon lies Beaujolais, a storied French wine appellation that overlaps both Burgundy and the Rhône, paying homage to both while owing allegiance to neither. The picturesque vineyards are planted almost exclusively to Gamay for reds and have been producing accessible, fruit-forward wines since the Romans first established trading routes along the Saône valley. Nearby Lyon is said to be ‘a city of three rivers’—the Rhône and Saône rivers that converge here, and then, the river of cool Beaujolais wine that drenches its food-centered heart. With 4300 restaurants (including twenty that boast Michelin stars), Lyon is host to such internationally renowned chefs as Paul Bocuse and Guy Lassausaie, and has rightly been nicknamed ‘The Gastronomic Capital of the World.’

Beaujolais is filled with rolling hills and bucolic villages, unique in France 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, Regnié 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.

 

 

 

Moulin-à-Vent

At the top of Beaujolais, geographically and arguably, in terms of quality, Moulin-à-Vent’s oddly toxic soils produce wines of great merit. Manganese exists here in quantities not found anywhere else in Beaujolais; it retards leaf growth and creates smaller bunches, resulting in wines of phenomenal concentration that can be cellared for a decade or more.

In the 18th century Château du Moulin-à-Vent was called Château des Thorins, named for the renowned vines on the hillsides of Thorins—a Mâconnais proverb runs, “Every wine is good with a meal, but a meal cannot be enjoyed without Thorins.” The estate was purchased in 2009 by the Parinet family, who has made a marvelous effort to extract the most from the chemical-rich terroir—the underlying granite soil contains iron oxide, copper and, of course, manganese. Château du Moulin-à-Vent, Moulin-à-Vent – Le Moulin-à-Vent 2018, ($40), comes from an exceptional vintage and is one of the château’s signature wines, sumptuous and expressive. It shows juicy black fruits, lavender and a myriad spices from the partial oak-aging.

 

 

Chiroubles

Chiroubles is relatively tiny, with fewer than a thousand acres under vine, but it is a mouse that roars. This is due mostly to elevation; Chiroubles vineyards are the highest in Beaujolais, with some planted 1500 feet above the Saône River valley. Taking advantage of extreme diurnal shifts between the warm days and cold nights, the same soils that produce Fleurie to its immediate north here build wines that are lighter and fresher, often with pronounced floral characteristics.

Daniel Bouland is an artisan in the style of old-school winemakers. He works his vines by hand, and many are grown in small plots known as lieu-dits—portions of a vineyard with specific topographic or historical significance. Better known for his Morgons, Daniel Bouland ‘Cuve No 11’, Chiroubles-Chatenay 2019, ($36), hails from such a lieu-dit (Chatenay) in the neighboring appellation of Chiroubles, on a steep hillside site composed of friable sandstone. Such terroir produces beautiful, fragrant, sappy Gamay wines with the structure of many Burgundies. It has a nose of violets and thyme, a rich mid-palate of cherry and cranberry underscored by orange peel, Damson plum and crisp minerality.

 

 

Côte de Brouilly

To suggest that Côte de Brouilly erupts with flavor is more than a metaphor; the appellation sits on the slope of an extinct volcano. Making up but a small fraction of the Brouilly appellation, Côte de Brouilly draws its unique terroir from volcanic blue diorite, which provides the thin, well-drained soil that causes vines to struggle and the resulting wine—concentrated and intense—to shine. The vineyards of Côte de Brouilly are found on the south and east slopes of Mont Brouilly, protected from winds from the nearby Beaujolais hills by the volcano itself. They enjoy morning sunlight maximized by the steep slopes of the vineyards. This hastens ripening so that the vineyards of Côte de Brouilly are among the first to be harvested in Beaujolais.

Domaine de la Voûte des Crozes, Côte de Brouilly 2019, ($23). So highly is La Voûte des Crozes winemaker Nicole Chanrion regarded in Côte-de-Brouilly that in 2000, she was elected president of the appellation. With oversight of all aspects of the process, from winter pruning, to managing the canopy, hand-harvesting and fermentation, she produces a wine whose tannins match ripeness of the fruit. Ample and layered with a succulent core of black-cherry, the acid remains front and center while a streak of minerality reflects the volcanic schist terroir.

 

 

 

 

 

The artisan vigneron reappears in Côte de Brouilly with Daniel Bouland ‘Cuvée Mélanie Cuve No 1’, Côte de Brouilly 2019, ($36), a wine comparable in complexity, depth and cellaring potential to a Côte de Beaune. Another lieu-dit gem, this wine shows kirsch fragrances along with cassis, blackberry and smoke. Like all of Bouland’s wines, this one is made from hand-harvested grapes, vinified with full clusters and bottled unfiltered.

 

 

 

 

Saint-Amour

The wines of Saint-Amour are light and delicate, the result of dry, warm winds from the north that keeps soils feathery-textured; although Gamay is the predominant varietal, it’s no wonder that this appellation produces more white wines than the other Beaujolais cru, although these Chardonnay/Aligoté -based wines often wear generic labels or are listed under the Saint-Véran (Burgundy) appellation that slightly overlaps Saint-Amour.

Pierre-Marie Chermette was raised in the vineyard; his fondest memories of the family home in Vissoux was riding the tractor. He pursued it as his life’s work, earning a National Diploma of Oenologist from Dijon at the age of 20. Two years later, he convinced his father to stop selling the fruits of his labor to merchants, and developed the market for estate bottled wines. Over the years, Pierre-Marie diversified the number of appellations the family worked, and is now responsible for nearly 75 acres. For obvious reasons, Pierre-Marie Chermette, Saint-Amour-Les Champs Grilles 2018, ($30) is marketed for Valentine’s Day, for which it is perfectly suited: The nose is rose petals and cherry blossoms, and the palate is filled with lush red fruits and chocolate layered across gentle tannins.

 

 

Morgon

Morgon, on the western side of the Saône, may only appear on the label of a Gamay-based red wine; even so, the appellation allows the addition of up to 15% white wine grapes: Chardonnay, Aligoté or Melon de Bourgogne. Nevertheless, the wines of Morgon wind up being among the most full-bodied in Beaujolais, with the potential to improve in the cellar so consistently that the French describe wines from other AOPs that display this quality by saying, “It Morgons…” The vineyards occupy slightly under five square miles surrounding the commune of Villié-Morgon, with the vines of Fleurie and Chiroubles directly to the north and Brouilly and Regnié along the southern border.

Marie-Élodie Zighera-Confuron is the proprietor of Clos de Mez, and maintains the vineyards’ matriarchal lineage. She explains, “Vines have been in my maternal family for four generations. The grapes they grew were delivered to the cooperative cellar by my grandmother and mother, up until I arrived at the domain as a winegrower. However, this did not deter my grandmother or mother from taking great care of the vineyard.” Clos de Mez, Morgon-Château Gaillard 2012, ($22)is not to be confused with Normandy’s Château Gaillard; here it is a lieu-dit in the northern part of Morgon bordering on Fleurie. The vines are all over 60 years old; they produce a distinctive, meaty wine that has been compared to a Rhône for its dark cherry profile enlivened by licorice, plum and a taut, mineral-tinged acidity.

 

 

Fleurie

As mentioned, each of the Beaujolais crus wears its own pretty face; where Morgon is bold and handsome and Saint-Amour is a fairyland of delicate beauty, Fleurie—covering an unbroken area of three square miles—represents Beaujolais’ elegance. The terroir is built around pinkish granite that is unique to this part of Beaujolais, with the higher elevations accounting for thinner, acidic soils that produce graceful and aromatic wines. Below the main village, the wines are grown in deeper, richer, clay-heavy soils and the wines themselves are richer and deeper and appropriate for the cellar. The technique known as gridding, which involves extracting more color and tannin from the skins of the grapes, is proprietary to Fleurie.

Clos de Mez, Fleurie-La Dot 2012, ($22)sees the return of Marie-Élodie Zighera-Confuron to her native Fleurie, where La Dot refers to a plot of vines, now fifty years old, that her grandmother once received as a dowry. White flowers and cut grass waft through the nose and lead to a beautiful palate of pomegranate and raspberry; the wine finishes with granitic acidity and a dusting of baking spices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pierre-Marie Chermette, Fleurie-Poncié 2017 ($27) also reintroduces the tractor-fan turned enologist from Le Vissoux. Although the family estate is in Saint-Vérand, in the Golden Stone area of Rhône, the luscious Fleurie from the lieu-dit Poncié is a paean to the sandy slopes of pink granite north of the town itself. The wine is resplendent with sweet red cherries, dried flowers and ripe strawberries enveloped in silky tannins.

 

 

 

 

Beaujolais-Villages

Of the three Beaujolais classifications, Villages occupies the middle spot in terms of quality. To qualify, the wine generally hails from more esteemed terroirs in the northern half of Beaujolais, from one of 38 villages that have not been named ‘cru’ appellations. They are expressive wines with more structure and complexity than generic Beaujolais, though not as exclusive as those from the ten crus. Accounting for about a quarter of all Beaujolais production, Villages wines are most often produced by négociants and vinified using stricter rules as to yields and technique.

Jean Foillard, Beaujolais-Villages 2019, ($27), is a solid example of the classification, brilliant red with a purplish tint, offering round, juicy mouth-filling strawberry and cherry flavors with spice in the background and a rustic, lightly tannic finish. A disciple of traditionalist Jules Chauvet, who eschewed the styles touted by commercial brands, Jean Foillard produces wines that are sumptuous and complex, with a velvety lushness that makes them irresistible in their youth.

 

 

 

Beaujolais

Brooding Beaujolais is an oxymoron; buoyant Beaujolais is a requirement. The broadest of all the classifications in Beaujolais, seeing such a designation on a wine label means that the grapes are generally grown in the southern part of the appellation and vinified using carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration, leaving dominant, candy-like notes. Beaujolais’ climate is similar to Burgundy—moderate continental—and the main difference in the output is that whereas Burgundy’s Pinot Noir is fickle and difficult to ripen, Beaujolais’ rock star Gamay is an early-budding, early-ripening and vigorous cultivar. As such, outputs (if not controlled) can be overly prodigious.

Pierre-Marie Chermette ‘Origine Vieilles Vignes’ Beaujolais 2018, ($18), falls under this generic appellation with the specification of ‘Origine Vieilles Vignes’, or ‘original old vines’. It is produced in Saint Vérand from vines that have grown on a dark granite enclave for up to a century. The cuvée was created in 1986 when banana-flavored Beaujolais Nouveau was in vogue; Pierre-Marie wanted to create a non-chaptalized spring-release Beaujolais using natural yeast and vinified by using traditional methods. It is bright and beautiful, suave and supple, and exhibiting great color and freshness.

We are pleased to offer a selection of wines that represent a marriage of grapes and ground that the French regard as mystical. It’s in the sandy clay soils over granite of Beaujolais that the Gamay grape finds its truest expression, in the right hands producing red wines that are fresh, vivid, light and fruity, yet possessing a soulful depth and sense of place. It is a wine that is somehow simultaneously uncomplicated and consequential.

Included in the package are wines from eight of Beaujolais’ ten Cru appellations — known for their extraordinary soils and microclimates and the capability of producing the most remarkable wines of the region. Although these are all Gamay-based wines, they are produced using many of the traditional methods practiced in Burgundy, including a focus on healthy vineyard ecosystems with the goal of making wines that express their terroir.

Light, refreshing, with moderate alcohol, lively acidity, and served with a slight chill, these are wines versatile enough to complement nearly any dish. Indeed, France’s gastronomical center, the city of Lyon, is just a short drive south of Beaujolais on the A6. From Mediterranean Provence to Alscace and Lorraine, many different culinary influences have converged to become what is known as Lyonnaise cuisine. The locals love their Beaujolais with cheeses and cured sausages, potatoes pan-fried in butter, and Coq au Vin. You will too.

Included in Burgundy’s Alter Ego 10-Bottle Package are one each of the following wines:

The price includes a 15% discount, tax, and delivery. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the package.

Beaujolais-Villages 

Although Beaujolais-Villages is considered “lesser” when compared to the 10 Crus, it can be a source of great value when the wines are made by accomplished producers. And they don’t get much more accomplished than the two we have to offer here.

A living legend in Beaujolais, Jean Foillard is a traditionalist who has returned to the old practices of viticulture and vinification: starting with old vines, never using synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvesting late, rigorously sorting to remove all but the healthiest grapes, adding minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and refusing both chaptalization and filtration. Jean Foillard 2019 (Regular $29) Beaujolais-Villages consists of a blend of several granite terroirs on the outskirts of the cru villages, mostly high in the hills where Gamay once failed to ripen consistently. With today’s climate, ripening is no longer a concern, even in these cooler sites. Consider this wine a lighter, brighter, higher-toned sibling to the domaine’s benchmark Morgon.

Cousin to Vicomte Liger-Belair of La Romanée fame, in 2001 Thibault Liger-Belair took over storied family property in Nuits-Saint-Georges. In 2008, Thibault decided to deploy his talent and knowledge in Beaujolais. Thibault Liger-Belair “Les Jeunes Pousses” 2017 (Regular $31) is Thibault’s basic cuvée, made with fruit from the granite soils of the northern part of the region. It begins powerfully fragrant with violets and dark cherries. Although easy to drink, as Beaujolais-Villages ought to be, there is a vein of iron-metallic energy at the wine’s core leading all the way to a finish of crunchy ripe tannins. This is a Beaujolais-Villages with the gravitas of the Côte de Nuits.

Chénas

Chénas produces a tender wine that can age surprisingly well. You don’t see much Chénas in your local wine shops as very few good examples are imported to the states. One exception is Domaine Pascal Aufranc “en Rémont, Vignes de 1939” 2018 (Regular $20). Planted in 1939, the “en Rémont” vineyard is one of Chenas’ finest, with classic granitic soils covered in sand. The vineyard is completely isolated, surrounded by fields and woods, which allows Pascal to cultivate his vines without potential interference from his neighbors. This old-vine fruit makes an intense, mineral-accented wine with dark berry aromas mingled with violets and wet earth. In the mouth it is sappy, precise, and lengthy.

Chiroubles

Chiroubles’ position is unique, as it is at the very highest altitudes of Beaujolais and the fruit takes about a week longer to ripen than elsewhere, which tends to produce wines of complexity, even in their youth. A pioneer in the under-valued appellation of Chiroubles, Damien Coquelet started his own Domaine at the tender age of 20. He also has some fantastic parcels in the famous Côte de Py in Morgon. Damien Coquelet “Vieilles Vignes” 2016 (Regular $35) is from vines over 50 years old growing in granite soils. The wine sees long semi-carbonic macerations and maturation in Burgundian barriques. Bright aromas of ripe raspberry, cherry, violet and citrus precede a lively mineral attack with a finish that is sappy, earthy, and long.

Côte de Brouilly

Côte de Brouilly sits on the hillsides of Mont Brouilly, a prehistoric volcano that left blue schist stones and volcanic rock along its slopes. The fruit tends to ripen fully even in cool vintages, producing structured and elegant wines. Nicole Chanrion took over the family domaine in 1988. She works all 16 acres entirely by herself, from pruning the vineyards and driving the tractors to winemaking and bottling. She employs the traditional winemaking techniques of the Beaujolais: hand harvesting, whole-cluster fermentation, aging the wines in large oak foudres for at least nine months, and bottling unfiltered. She is affectionately referred to as “La Patronne de la Côte,” or the Boss of la Côte. Domaine de la Voûte des Crozes 2019 (Regular $24) is powerful, with loads of pure fruit character and floral aromas.

Fleurie

With a concentration of good producers and particularly fine terroir, Fleurie is another great source of Cru Beaujolais. Fleur means flower in French, and the wines of Fleurie are quite often characterized by a distinct floral note. Jean-Paul Brun started Terres Dorées in 1979 and is one of the region’s champions of what might be described as traditional Beaujolais. His wines are fermented with natural yeast and he has also always eschewed the relatively modern technique of carbonic maceration in favor of traditional Burgundian vinification. Expressive from start to finish with hints of clove and cherry, Terres Dorées “Grille Midi” 2016 (Regular $31) is from the famous lieu-dit of Grille Midi — a south-facing amphitheater of vines on poor, sandy, decomposed-granite soils over hard granite rock.

Juliénas

Juliénas is another Cru known for its sturdy wines with aging potential. The typical characteristic of Juliénas is deep red cherries, which transform with a few years of bottle age into nuanced flavors that tend towards cassis. Laurent Perrachon et Fils, “Les Vignes Centenaires” (Regular $32) is from a two-acre parcel of century-old vines. It is powerful, sinewy, and packed with sappy fruit. With a nod toward toward Burgundy, seventh-generation winemaker Laurent Perrachon uses indigenous yeasts and a long maceration time to extract the broadest palette of flavors, complexity, and structure. The wines are aged in the estate’s vaulted cellars that were built in 1701.

Morgon

Thanks chiefly to its granitic soils, the wines of Morgon have great weight and structure. It is also blessed with an extraordinarily range of excellent producers. Daniel Bouland is one of them. He farms about 17 acres of old vines and his wines are notable in their ability to develop over time into wines as expressive as those from villages to the north in Burgundy. All fruit is hand-harvested and vinified with full clusters to extract the full depth of expression. The wines are bottled unfiltered. Daniel Bouland, “Pré Jourdan – Foudre No. 7” Morgon 2019 (Regular $41) is a newly acquired lieu-dit located near Fleurie with 70-year-old vines. The entire batch aged in a five-year-old foudre was purchased by the US importer after the inaugural 2018 vintage, making this wine exclusive to the states.

Moulin-à-Vent 

Moulin-à-Vent is considered the sturdiest, most tannic, and longest-lived among the 10 Crus of Beaujolais. But don’t expect the kind of hairy-teeth tannins you find in highly structured Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine. Moulin-à-Vent wines are still made from Gamay so they’ll never be that tannic. Domaine Diochon “Vieilles Vignes” 2019 (Regular $28) does contain some tannin—it wouldn’t be young Moulin-à-Vent if it didn’t—but it is beautifully integrated, not heavy, with fruit and floral aromas, and ready to drink now if given a little time to breathe. The wine is made from vines planted in 1920, 1950, and the 1960s, so yields are naturally small. Look for a pronounced mineral component from crumbly granite soils.

Saint-Amour

Saint-Amour is the most northerly Beaujolais Crus, bordering the Mâcon region of southern Burgundy. Saint-Amour can be an intensely red-fruited wine and Pierre-Marie Chermette “Les Champs-Grillés” 2018 (Regular $34) is a fine example. Notes of raspberries, rose petals and cherries lead to a drink that is layered and spicy, with a muscular spine of fine tannins. Strict traditionalists, Pierre-Marie and Martine Chermette were among the first in Beaujolais to use sustainable agricultural practices, shunning the use of chemicals in the vineyard and encouraging as much life in the soil as possible. The wines are made with minimal intervention: wild yeasts, minimal sulphur additions, and no filtering if possible.

Feast your end-of-summer senses on our latest Wine-Aid box that features a selection of wines that represent a marriage of grapes and ground that the French regard as mystical. It’s in the sandy clay soils over granite of Beaujolais that the Gamay grape finds its truest expression, in the right hands producing red wines that are fresh, vivid, light and fruity, yet possessing a soulful depth and sense of place. It is a wine that is somehow simultaneously uncomplicated and consequential.

The wines of Beaujolais are especially appropriate for a long Labor Day weekend as they drink particularly well with a slight chill and pair nicely with just about every type of fare, from grilled hot dogs with corn-on-the-cob to lamb steaks with roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes.

The price for this Wine-Aid package includes tax and delivery, as well as a 15% discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package.

Included in “The Other Burgundy” — The Delectable Wines of Beaujolais Wine-Aid Package are two bottles each:

Château de Lavernette “Le Clos” (Beaujolais-Leynes 2017) Regular Price: $33

The commune of Leynes and its old four-story Château de Lavernette lie at the crossroads of Beaujolais and the Mâconnais. “Le Clos” comes from the estate’s best parcels of Gamay — a little over four walled acres planted between 1957 and 1967. Leynes is one of thirty-nine villages entitled to use its name within the Beaujolais-Villages appellation. “Le Clos” is produced traditionally in older barrels using predominantly whole cluster fermentation but there’s also usually some de-stemmed fruit depending on the vintage conditions.

 

Château Thivin “Reverdon” (Brouilly 2018) Regular Price: $26

A benchmark domaine in the Côte de Brouilly, the Geoffray family has been farming their steep, south-facing slopes of decomposed pink granite for over a century. Château Thivin “Reverdon” is from the Reverdon sector of Mont Brouilly, an area known for producing wines of great finesse. It is produced using whole cluster fermentation for about a week and then aged in concrete tank for eight months for a wine that is simultaneously joyous and expressive of place.

 

Domaine Robert-Denogent “Cuvée Jules Chauvet” (Beaujolais Villages 2017) Regular Price: $25

In 1988, Jean-Jacques Robert took over 12 acres of his grandfather’s vines in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy just outside the village of Fuissé and soon came under the influence of one of the masters of terroir-focused Beaujolais, Marcel Lapierre. “Cuvée Jules Chauvet” is made from a three acre parcel of Gamay vines in a 15 acre vineyard that was owned by the late Jules Chauvet – a legend for his pioneering work with organic viticulture in Beaujolais and his leadership in the French natural wine movement. The wine is made with rigorous sorting in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar and then aged for 16 months in seven-year-old barrels.

 

Clos de Mez “La Dot” (Fleurie 2013) Regular Price: $24

Vines have been in Marie-Élodie Zighera Confuron’s maternal family for four generations but she is the first of the family to produce and bottle the wines under her own name. “La Dot” is so named because it was a dowry gift for Marie’s grandmother’s wedding. It is a five acre plot of pinkish granite soils near the famous lieu-dit of Grille Midi in the south of Fleurie. The average age of the vines is close to 50 years old. Aromas of iris, violet, rose, and red fruit eventually give way to notes of spice. It is a wine of body, elegance, and finesse.

 

Château Thivin Rosé (Beaujolais Villages 2019) Regular Price: $20

The fruit for Château Thivin Beaujolais Villages Rosé is sourced from a 2.5 acre plot of 50 year old vines. It is produced by direct pressing the grapes and allowing the skins to macerate with the juice for one day before vinification in cool, temperature-controlled stainless-steel cuves. The result is a rosé with delicate fresh fruit aromas and juicy flavors ideal for pairing with light summer al fresco meals. A crowd-pleaser for certain, this is always one of our top selling rosé wines.

 

Pierre-Marie Chermette Rosé “Griottes” (Beaujolais 2019) Regular Price $19

Strict traditionalists, Pierre-Marie and Martine Chermette were among the first in Beaujolais to use sustainable agricultural practices, shunning the use of chemicals in the vineyard and encouraging as much life in the soil as possible. The wines are made with minimal intervention: wild yeasts, minimal sulphur additions, and no filtering if possible. Their poundable, Gamay-based rosé is pale in color but deep in flavor. Fruit and flowers on the nose are enhanced by a hint of gravel.

 

---

We are committed to providing you with your wine needs in the safest way possible. We do encourage you to take advantage of our back door pick-up or free delivery. We can easily process the payment of your purchase over the phone and load you up without you needing to get out of the car. Or we can deliver it to your doorstep for free (within a reasonable distance of our shop) and leave it there for you to bring in at your convenience.

In a marriage of grapes and ground that the French regard as mystical, it’s in the sandy clay soils over granite of Beaujolais that the Gamay grape finds its truest expression, in the right hands producing red wines that are fresh, vivid, light and fruity, yet possessing a soulful depth and sense of place. It is a wine that is somehow simultaneously uncomplicated and consequential.

Introducing two newly assembled Wine-Aid packages that highlight the beauty and drinkability of Beaujolais. Each package is based on a significant producer from the region but altogether the packages include wines from five of Beaujolais’ ten Cru appellations — known for their extraordinary soils and microclimates and the capability of producing the most remarkable wines of the area. Prices include tax and delivery, as well as a deep discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package.

---

$225 The Wines of Daniel Bouland

A traditionalist based in Morgon, Daniel Bouland is considered one of the top producers in Beaujolais. He farms about 17 acres of old vines in the Douby, Côte de Py, and Delys lieux-dits of Morgon, plus some small parcels in Chiroubles and Côte de Brouilly. Bouland’s wines are notable in their ability to develop over time into wines as expressive as those from villages to the north in Burgundy. All fruit is hand-harvested and vinified with full clusters to extract the full depth of expression. The wines are bottled unfiltered.

Included in this Wine-Aid Package are two bottles each:

“Pré Jourdan Foudre No. 5” (Morgon 2018) Regular Price: $39
Pré Jourdan is a newly acquired lieu-dit located near Fleurie with 70-year-old vines. The entire batch aged in a five-year-old foudre was purchased by the US importer after the inaugural 2018 vintage, making this wine exclusive to the states.

“Cuve No. 11” (Chiroubles 2018) Regular Price: $39
A parcel in the lieu-dit of Chatenay that lies high on the hill of Chiroubles and less than a mile north of Corcelette.  The soil is friable sandstone, producing a wine with gorgeous aromatics and sappy dark fruit.

“Mélanie Cuve No 1”( Côte de Brouilly 2018) Regular Price: $39
Cuvée Mélanie comes from a parcel that lies within the lieu dit Tête Noire, high on the Côte de Brouilly, with volcanic blue schist soils similar to Morgon’s Côte de Py.  The elegance, structure, and crunchy minerality of Côte de Brouilly are on full display.

---

$165 The Wines of Pierre-Marie Chermette (Domaine du Vissoux)

Setting the benchmark in Beaujolais for five generations is the Chermette family, who have been instrumental in the implementation of the Beaujolais Crus and climats. Strict traditionalists, Pierre-Marie and his wife Martine were among the first in Beaujolais to use sustainable agricultural practices, shunning the use of chemicals in the vineyard and encouraging as much life in the soil as possible. The wines are made with minimal intervention: wild yeasts, minimal sulphur additions, and no filtering if possible. These are some of the most expressive wines in the region for the price.

Included in this Wine-Aid Package are two bottles each:

“Les Champs-Grillés” (Saint-Amour 2018) Regular Price: $34
“Les Champs-Grillés” is produced from fruit grown on a seven acre climat where vines of 50 years old or older grow in soils of decomposed granite. Fermentation takes place naturally in whole clusters in old foudres constructed by Pierre’s great-grandfather at the beginning of the 19th century.

“Poncié” (Fleurie 2018) Regular Price: $31
From an 11 acre lieu-dit on a south-east facing slope in the heights of Fleurie planted 35 years ago. The soil is made up of pink granite rich in mica and quartz with a crumbly surface. Silky tannins and a floral bouquet give this wine its particular finesse.

“Origine Vieilles Vignes” (Beaujolais 2018) Regular Price: $20
Crafted in the pure Beaujolais tradition, “Origine Vieilles Vignes” is a lively wine that allows the Gamay grape to express its full-frontal fruitiness. Concentration and freshness make this a Beaujolais with character.