2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Cédric Chignard’s chewy Juliénas is the darkest wine in this group, with the firm spine that comes from old vines in hard, rocky terrain. When you’re in the shop, look for the black gothic label. It matches the wine.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Juliénas |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Domaine Chignard |
Winemaker: | MIchel & Cédric Chignard |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1946 |
Soil: | Granite |
Aging: | Aged in old foudres (large oak barrels) for 13 months |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Fleurie
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Nicole Chanrion 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 | Beaujolais
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Chiroubles
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
La Soeur Cadette France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Fleurie
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais | Côte-de-Brouilly
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Morgon
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171
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