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2020 Beaujolais-Villages “Les Grandes Terres”
Quentin HarelIf you’re looking for a fun experiment that requires drinking plenty of Beaujolais, please consider the following: get a bottle of each of the three wines on this page, pop the corks, and enjoy a comparative tasting. I’ll bet you’ll want to dive into the crystal-clear purity of Lake Breton. I’ve got a hunch you’ll be seduced by the dark side of Foillard’s force. And I guarantee you’ll do a double take of Harel’s “Grandes Terres” (be sure to taste it last). Why? I’ll let you in on a little secret: the “Grandes Terres” parcel is an old field blend with Pinot Noir, a few old Swiss varieties, and some teinturier vines hidden amongst the Gamay. Not too many of course, but just enough to add another dimension, some complexity, and some stuffing to this turducken that makes it stand out and, most important of all, fun to drink!
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Beaujolais Villages |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Quentin Harel |
Winemaker: | Quentin Harel |
Vineyard: | 7 to 70 years, 40 years average; 3 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Aged 12 months in 70 hL cement tank and 20 hl enamel tank |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Morgon
France | Beaujolais
Silky and perfumed, with no rough edges, this is dangerously swallowable.
2022 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Not your basic Beaujolais, it showcases pedigreed and assertive fruit that is strikingly substantial for Gamay.
2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
If Beaujolais were Burgundy, we might consider Morgon to be Vosne-Romanée, with its haunting perfume and silky texture, the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove.
2021 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
France | Beaujolais
Floral and succulent, bursting with notes of little red berries, but it is also delicate and light on its feet.
2021 Morgon “Charmes - Infusion”
France | Beaujolais
This classic, cool-weather vintage of Quentin Harel’s one hectare holding in Morgon spends three months macerating in concrete amphora. The result is a distinct softening of its crunchy, mineral-laced bramble.
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
France | Beaujolais
This Beaujolais offers the drinkability of the most effusive Morgons with the frankness of a chiseled Moulin-à-Vent.
2021 Juliénas “Beauvernay”
France | Beaujolais
An electric lightning bolt of Gamay from a steep, windy hillside.
2020 Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
A generous dash of plump, sun-ripened fruit enveloping a granite core.
2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
Leave it to Breton to take summer heat and turn it into a light summer breeze in a glass.
2021 Brouilly “Reverdon”
France | Beaujolais
The 2021 vintage proved an elegant one for Thivin’s Brouilly, with all the suppleness and tonicity you’d expect from this storied estate.
About The Producer
Quentin Harel
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.
More from Beaujolais or France
2021 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
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2021 Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais-Villages
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Charmes - Infusion”
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2021 Côte de Brouilly
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2022 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
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2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
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2022 Beaujolais
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2022 Morgon
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2022 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
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2021 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
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2021 Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais-Villages
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Charmes - Infusion”
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
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