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2019 Fleurie “Les Moriers”
Domaine ChignardArriving in Cédric Chignard’s cellar in early March last year to blend his 2019s, I was saddened to learn that a late frost had decimated a good portion of his crop. While superlative quality certainly doesn’t make up for lost quantity, it was reassuring nonetheless to dip my nose into a sample from the first big foudre and discover a beautiful Beaujolais with a classic balance, brimming with graceful energy. Now in bottle, it emanates a floral aroma of a rare delicacy, along with that velvety-fine grain that makes Fleurie the undisputed Queen of Beaujolais’ crus.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Fleurie |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Domaine Chignard |
Winemaker: | Michel & Cédric Chignard |
Vineyard: | 60 years, 8 ha |
Soil: | Granite |
Aging: | Aged in old foudres (large oak barrels) for 13 months |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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About The Producer
Domaine Chignard
About The Region
Beaujolais
After years of the region’s reputation being co-opted by mass-produced Beaujolais Nouveau and the prevalence of industrial farming, the fortunes of vignerons from the Beaujolais have been on the rise in the past couple of decades. Much of this change is due to Jules Chauvet, a prominent Beaujolais producer who Kermit worked with in the 1980s and arguably the father of the natural wine movement, who advocated not using herbicides or pesticides in vineyards, not chaptalizing, fermenting with ambient yeasts, and vinifying without SO2. Chief among Chauvet’s followers was Marcel Lapierre and his three friends, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thévenet—a group of Morgon producers who Kermit dubbed “the Gang of Four.” The espousal of Chauvet’s methods led to a dramatic change in quality of wines from Beaujolais and with that an increased interest and appreciation for the AOC crus, Villages, and regular Beaujolais bottlings.
The crus of Beaujolais are interpreted through the Gamay grape and each illuminate the variety of great terroirs available in the region. Distinguishing itself from the clay and limestone of Burgundy, Beaujolais soils are predominantly decomposed granite, with pockets of blue volcanic rock. The primary vinification method is carbonic maceration, where grapes are not crushed, but instead whole clusters are placed in a tank, thus allowing fermentation to take place inside each grape berry.
Much like the easy-going and friendly nature of many Beaujolais vignerons, the wines too have a lively and easy-drinking spirit. They are versatile at table but make particularly good matches with the local pork sausages and charcuterie. Though often considered a wine that must be drunk young, many of the top crus offer great aging potential.
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Vintage Chart Mentality
Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch