2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Domaine Dupeuble has been producing wine in the hamlet of Le Breuil, in the southern part of Beaujolais, since the year 1512! The Dupeuble family has exported their delicious Beaujolais to the U.S. for roughly thirty of the domaine’s more than five hundred years in operation, but this particular cuvée is available on American soil for the very first time. Unlike the bottling we usually sell—a light, juicy, fruit-driven quaffer—Cuvée 1512 represents a much more serious breed of Gamay pleasure. Sourced from three vineyard parcels home to the property’s oldest vines, these grapes saw a traditional “Burgundian” vinification with a long (three-week) maceration instead of the whole-berry fermentation typically employed in the region. This treatment yielded a more concentrated, structured red with abundant wild berry and spice notes. This year's vintage, it can easily stand up to red meats or stews and also has the potential to age further in bottle.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Beaujolais |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Domaine Dupeuble |
Winemaker: | The Dupeuble Family |
Vineyard: | 70 years old, 2 ha |
Soil: | Granite, Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Wine is aged 6 months in cement tank |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 15% |
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
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.
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Régnié
La Soeur Cadette France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Régnié
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Brouilly
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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