Domaine Gregoire Hoppenot / Fleurie Les Garants

Jean-Michel Dupré Glou Glou / Beaujolais Villages - 750ml, 2023

Daniel Bouland’s 2022 Pré Jourdan is a beautiful bottle of young Morgon. The deeper soils here show in the great depth of sappy fruit the wine exudes on both the nose and palate, with the wine coming at 13.5 percent octane in this vintage and offering up a simply beautiful aromatic constellation of black cherries, red plums, sweet cranberries, a touch of chocolate, pigeon, dark soil tones, woodsmoke, gently savory elements and a topnote of rose petals. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off stunning depth at the core, with a beautiful base of complex soil tones, ripe, buried tannins, fine focus and length and a perfectly balanced, nascently complex finish.

Anne-Sophie Dubois, a talented vigneron from Champagne, has established herself as a notable figure in the Beaujolais wine region with her Fleurie 'l'Alchimiste' 2023. Her vineyard, located in the heart of Fleurie, benefits from southwest-facing slopes and granitic soils, which contribute to the wine's distinct elegance and finesse. Anne-Sophie's philosophy of minimal intervention allows the true character of the Gamay grapes to shine through, resulting in a wine that is both refined and expressive.

The Graillot family have harbored an oenological interest in Beaujolais, as well as a family home there, for some time. They, like several others, see a region which has real potential and that is currently undervalued. ‘En Besset’ is a 5ha plot on granitic hillsides close to Saint-Amour and Julienas, producing concentrated intense wines. Their Beaujolais-en-Besset is redolent of ripe mulberries and damsons with a pure red fruit core and delicate earthy undertones. It has enough weight to support a spot of bottle age but is hard to resist in its youthful pomp.

The wine shows elegant, intense aromas of black cherry and raspberry, violets, stone, smoke, and black pepper. The palate is creamy, earthy, and floral on the attack then develops vivid flavors of black raspberry and crushed strawberry layered over earthy spice and stone on the grippy mid-palate. The finish is long and mineral and ends on a slightly bitter citrus note under lingering black fruits.

Moulin à Vent is called King of Beaujolais. This is the Cru with the longest cellaring potential and which is closest to its Burgundian neighours. This cuvée is the expression of the alliance between finesse and power. The aromatic palate is wide, going from very ripe small red berries through spice to mineral notes. 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.

In the small appellation of Moulin-à-Vent, the vineyards surround a historic windmill at the top of of 278-meter hill. Moulin-à-Vent wines develop aromas of iris, wilted roses, spice and ripe fruit with notes of undergrowth and truffles, providing tannic, structured wines. When they are younger, they are floral and fruity, with violet and cherry aromas. This delightful red wine is from Les Thorins, a lieu-dit known for its eastern sun exposure and rich, gorrha soil. We love serving it slightly chilled.

The Moulin-a-Vent Vieilles Vignes has turned out brilliantly, bursting with aromas of cherries, cassis, sweet spices, rose petals and orange rind. Medium to full-bodied, rich, and concentrated, it's gourmand but remarkably elegant, with powdery tannin, lively acids, and a seamless, charming profile. As readers will remember, this ultra-traditional cuvee is mostly whole cluster and sees a classic two-week maceration with submerged cap before maturation in foudre.

Arnaud Combier is a long-time fixture in the natural wine scene in southern Burgundy, beginning with his first richly-textured, no-sulfites Saint-Véran bottlings more than twenty years ago. Today, he collaborates with like-minded growers on an exciting new lineup of wines from the Mâconnais and Beaujolais. Fresh, expressive aromas of ripe, red fruit with hints of pepper and juniper berry on the nose. Round and expansive on the palate, ending with a lingering finish of licorice and blackberries. A concentrated and well-structured wine that is also very approachable.

Bouland’s Bellevue soils are split into two cuvées—one for the sand (Sable) and one for the stones (Cailloux). These two parcels are only separated by a small track, yet, as Bouland points out, the soil is completely different. Tasted side-by-side, the Sable cuvée is the more yielding of the two wines, with a greater width and juicier tannins than the Cailloux bottling. The Bellevue “Sablé” from Mélanie and Daniel Bouland is an excellent young Morgon. The wine comes in at fourteen percent octane in this vintage and delivers a deep and complex constellation of red and black cherries, sweet cranberries, gamebird, woodsmoke, sweet stem tones, a fine base of soil, peonies and a nice touch of gentle spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, deep, ripe and full-bodied, with a superb core of fruit, fine soil signature and grip, moderate, buried tannins and excellent focus and balance on the long, youthfully complex finish.

Jean-Marc Burgaud / Morgon Ruyere - 750ml, 2024

Composed of sustainably farmed Gamay sourced from a 6.25-acre vineyard that grows in pink granitic soil with crystal and sandstone. Vine age averages 45 years old. Fermented and aged in concrete vats for 6 months. Annual case output for this release is a mere 335 cases. Deep, glistening ruby. Ripe blueberry, cherry and floral scents and a hint of licorice on the fragrant nose. Smooth and concentrated, offering vaguely jammy black and blue fruit flavors and a late touch of spiciness. Finishes gently tannic, broad and long, leaving dark berry and candied violet notes behind.