2020 Jérôme Balmet Red Beard

WINEMAKER: Jérôme Balmet
REGION: Beaujolais, FR
VARIETAL: Gamay
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic/Biodynamic

From the flatter plains of St-Etienne, short maceration Gamay fermented in tank and pressed to 1 concrete vessel and a handful of small barrels. More lush and up front than the steeper slopes of it's 'White Beard' cousin.

Jérôme Balmet learned his craft working with both Jean-Claude Lapalu and Mathieu Lapierre and produced his first vintage in 2012. He has just 3.5ha of vines split between Vaux-en-beaujolais and Saint-Etienne-des-Oullières just south of Brouilly. His site in Vaux consists of 50-year-old vines planted on blue granite on a steep hillside vineyard, while his Saint-Etienne-des-Oullières site is heavier soil down on the valley floor producing wines of greater density. He farms organically with some biodynamic practices applied during the season. The grapes are transported a short distance to his tiny cellar in Vaux, where they undergo a light maceration in his handful of old concrete tanks and foudres and are bottled with no additions whatsoever.