2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
I vividly recall tasting Breton’s Régnié with the man himself in Villié-Morgon a few springs ago. Floating on a Gamay-induced cloud of silky fresh berries, I wondered, Grapes can do this?? My brow furrowed as I contemplated an inevitable problem: Bottles won’t be big enough. Buy only magnums? Does it come in buckets?
I am no scientist, but something about the chemical properties of carbonically fermented Gamay from ancient vines in granite soils, bottled unfiltered with barely any sulfur, causes the stuff to evaporate from the bottle at an accelerated rate. Savor it while you can, because your glass will be empty before you know it, leaving you only with the spicy, mineral-laden aftertaste of a bottle that went down way too easily.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Régnié |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Guy Breton |
Winemaker: | Guy Breton |
Vineyard: | 40-50 years, 1 ha |
Soil: | Granite, Sand |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Chiroubles
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
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Chiroubles
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Régnié
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Fleurie
Domaine Diochon France | Beaujolais | Moulin-à-Vent
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais-Villages
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Brouilly
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236
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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