2015 Puligny-Montrachet “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Thivin is an institution in the Côte de Brouilly appellation: the splendid château dates back to 1383, and the Geoffray family, who has called it home for generations, has a long history of producing fabulous wines from this fabled cru. Arguably even more legendary is the cuisine of Evelyne Geoffray, who tackles the crucial task of feeding hungry harvesters every September. Her cooking embraces the best of the French culinary tradition and puts forth the Beaujolais' richness of fine local products. Loaded with wild fruit, spice, and crunchy minerality, Thivin's Côte de Brouilly marries to perfection with Evelyne's generous, soulful cuisine.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 375mL |
Blend: | Gamay Noir |
Appellation: | Côte de Brouilly |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Château Thivin |
Winemaker: | Claude Geoffray |
Vineyard: | Average of 50 years, 8.3 ha |
Soil: | Blue volcanic rock comprised of plagioclase and biotite |
Aging: | Ages in oak foudres for six months before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
It is no surprise that Château Thivin is the benchmark domaine of the Côte de Brouilly; everything about it is exceptional. Built in the fifteenth century on an ancient volcano which juts out steeply into the valley below, Thivin is the oldest estate on Mont Brouilly, In 1976, Richard Olney took Kermit to visit on their first wine trip together. It was Olney’s top recommendation in the whole of the Beaujolais region. The current generation of the Geoffray family continues their tradition. Today their grandnephew Claude, his wife Evelyne, and their son Claude-Edouard continue the tradition as staunch and proud defenders of the terroir of the 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.
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais | Côte-de-Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Chiroubles
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Jean-Paul & Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
La Soeur Cadette France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
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
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