2022 Domaine de la Grand'Cour Brouilly Vieilles Vignes

WINEMAKER: Jean-Louis Dutraive
REGION: Beaujolais, FR
VARIETY: Gamay
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic

This Brouilly cuvee comes from a place called Vuril in the village of Charentay, east of the Brouilly appellation. The vines are 60 years old and sit on an exposed south facing vineyard at 250m above sea level on deep clay-limestone soils. At harvest, grapes are hand picked, fermented in concrete vats using carbonic maceration and native yeast before being moved to concrete vats (50%) and oak barrels (50%) for 7 months ageing. Very little, if any, sulphur is used and wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

"Deep cherry red with crimson hue and ruby highlights. We have a complete departure in style here to contrast the Burgundy like Fleuries. The Southern fruits are creeping in with vibrant fruit driven red and black currant, satsuma plum and red cherry. All properly ripe and not liqueured as is so often the case in Beaujolais. There is a fragrant dusting of old spice and some old cellar earthiness. The palate is fresh and juicy with the ripe fruit flavours at cordial like richness, ie thirst quenching. Cherry, pomegranate and white strawberry. Subtle sweet spices and fine chalky tannins. High frequency fruit vibrations replace the complexity of the Fleuries. Delicious." - Tim Stock

Domaine de la Grand'Cour is one of the oldest domaines in Fleurie and carries a tradition for producing some of the most renowned wines of this cru. Back in 1969 Jean Dutraive purchased the commune-like buildings and surrounding vineyards of the domaine. He was then joined by his son Jean-Louis Dutraive, a fifth generation Beaujolais winemaker in 1977. Today the wines are quintessential Fleurie and among the finest of all Beaujolais. The domaine now comprises 9.1 hectares in Fleurie - the lieux-dits of Grand’Cour, the 8-hectare walled Clos surrounding the house and cellar, Chapelle des Bois and Champagne; plus 1.6 hectares in Brouilly. Jean-Louis began farming organically in 2002 when he moved to live at the house inside the Clos and was certified organic in 2009.

Only natural inputs are used. All work is carried out manually and harvesting is exclusively by hand to ensure on the best quality, whole bunches arrive in the winery. The soils across the vineyards are variations on the classic coarse granite sand and gravel, with some clay-limestone plots. The natural Carbonic fermentation is carried out in cement vats with sulphur eschewed until a micro-dose pre-bottling, and some bottlings are available sans soufre (although rarely exported). The Grand’Cour Cru Beaujolais range are a beautiful blend of classicist and natural philosophies; producing finely structured Gamay of great mineral purity and freshness, with a natural vitality only present in the best Beaujolais. These wines are recognised by peers and global Beaujolais followers as being among the top few producers in Beaujolais today.