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2016 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole ChanrionCôte-de-Brouilly is one of the oldest vine-growing sites of the Beaujolais region—viticulture is thought to have taken off in the eleventh century, and today all flanks of this ancient volcano are covered with vines. In addition to its slope and range of sun exposures, the Côte is remarkable for its soils: whereas most cru Beaujolais is grown on decomposed granite, the volcanism here produced bluish stones more similar to schist, giving wines with a notable mineral crunch and gunflint-like aroma. Having taken over the family domaine in 1988, Nicole Chanrion works seven hectares of Gamay on the northern face of the mount. Her impressive career, during which she served as president of the Côte-de-Brouilly AOC, has even earned her the nickname La Pâtronne de la Côte. The title “Boss of the Côte” is well merited, as this 2016 attests: pure, driven, stony, and incredibly delicious, her wines are not to be taken lightly.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Côte-de-Brouilly |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Nicole Chanrion |
Winemaker: | Nicole Chanrion |
Vineyard: | 50 years, 3.5 ha |
Soil: | Schist, Porphyry |
Aging: | Ages for at least nine months before an unfiltered bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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About The Producer
Nicole Chanrion
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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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174