Notify me
Beaujolais Built to Last
Beaujolais Built to Last
by Tom Wolf by Tom Wolf
2021 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
2021 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Moulin--Vent-Vieilles-Vignes-product-image-6372-medium.jpg)
![, © Domaine Diochon - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Moulin--Vent-Vieilles-Vignes-product-image_alt-6372-medium.jpg)
Harvest at the domaine
Domaine Diochon France | Beaujolais | Moulin-à-Vent
In a wine landscape in which producers bottle increasingly wider ranges of cuvées, Domaine Diochon has become an outlier, producing one bottling year in and year out, which happens to be the same bottling we have imported for nearly forty years: the old-vine Moulin-à-Vent. In our November 1984 newsletter, Kermit wrote, “There was only one cask of old vines and Diochon was going to blend it in to add substance and character to his other casks. I had to pay a premium to obtain that one cask pure and unblended.”
Today, the wine is made from vines planted in 1920, 1950, and the 1960s. Not much else has changed with respect to this rouge that hails from Moulin-à-Vent, the Beaujolais cru known for producing arguably the region’s most age-worthy wines. Bernard Diochon, who succeeded his father in 1967, once said, “I like tannic wines without heaviness; with fruit and floral aromas. I don’t like weighty wines with hard tannins.” Although Bernard has been succeeded by Thomas Patenôtre, the wine continues to remain true to that sentiment. It contains some tannin—it wouldn’t be young Moulin-à-Vent if it didn’t—but it is beautifully integrated and the wine is ready to drink now if given a little time to breathe. Soulful and savory, with notes of cherries, iron, and smoke, this is cru Beaujolais built to last.
![- Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Moulin--Vent-Vieilles-Vignes-product-image-6372-medium.jpg)
![, © Domaine Diochon - Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant](https://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Moulin--Vent-Vieilles-Vignes-product-image_alt-6372-medium.jpg)
Harvest at the domaine
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Moulin-à-Vent |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Domaine Diochon |
Winemaker: | Thomas Patenôtre |
Vineyard: | 50 - 85 years, 5.05 ha |
Soil: | Pink Granite, sandstone, with a manganese-rich sub-soil |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
![2022 Vin de France <em>Blanc</em> “Perle de Gamay” Nicole Chanrion](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Vin-de-France-emBlancem-Perle-de-Gamay-product-image-8857-medium.jpg)
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
France | Beaujolais
Notes of stones, pear, and citrus... Enjoy as a refreshing, mineral apéritif or alongside your favorite fresh seafood.
![2022 Brouilly “Reverdon” Château Thivin](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Brouilly-Reverdon-product-image-8235-medium.jpg)
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
France | Beaujolais
This bottling is classic Brouilly, balanced and old-school, and showcases the beauty of Gamay
![2023 Beaujolais “Le Beaujolais” M. & C. Lapierre](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Beaujolais-emRougeem-Le-Beaujolais-product-image-9436-medium.jpg)
2023 Beaujolais “Le Beaujolais”
France | Beaujolais
“Le Beaujolais” is silky, perfumed, and incredibly fresh, exhibiting the pleasure factor we expect from every bottle to come out of the Lapierre cellars.
![2021 Beaujolais <em>Blanc</em> “Terrain Rouge” Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2021-Beaujolais-Blanc-Terrain-Rouge-product-image-6371-medium.jpg)
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
France | Beaujolais
Charly Thévenet and his father, Jean Paul, now bottle a range of five different wines in their cellars in Villié-Morgon
![2022 Côte de Brouilly Château Thivin](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Cte-de-Brouilly-product-image-8237-medium.jpg)
2022 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
June Club Rouge ~ Not your basic Beaujolais, it showcases pedigreed and assertive fruit that is strikingly substantial for Gamay.
![2022 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie” Château Thivin](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Cte-de-Brouilly-Cuve-Zaccharie-product-image-8882-medium.jpg)
2022 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
France | Beaujolais
This is a true homage cuvée, with an old-fashioned soul and vibrant energy.
![2023 Beaujolais <em>Blanc</em> Domaine Dupeuble](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Beaujolais-emBlancem-product-image-9454-medium.jpg)
2023 Beaujolais Blanc
France | Beaujolais
Do not miss this outstanding, value-driven Chardonnay from one of our most beloved French domaines.
![2023 Vin de France <i>Rouge</i> “Raisins Gaulois” M. & C. Lapierre](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2023-Raisins-Gaulois-product-image-9142-medium.jpg)
2023 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”
France | Beaujolais
This juicy red—loaded with bright, playful fruit—is low in alcohol and delightfully refreshing.
![2022 Régnié “En Voiture Simone” Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Rgni-En-Voiture-Simone-product-image-8487-medium.jpg)
2022 Régnié “En Voiture Simone”
France | Beaujolais
The high-toned nose suggests an absolutely electric wine, full of delicate florals and tart berries, and the juice hits the palate like a dreamy cloud of Gamay.
![2022 Juliénas “Beauvernay” Domaine Chignard](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/products/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-2022-Julinas-Beauvernay-product-image-9141-medium.jpg)
2022 Juliénas “Beauvernay”
France | Beaujolais
An electric lightning bolt of Gamay from a steep, windy hillside.
About The Producer
Domaine Diochon
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
2022 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Régnié “Grain & Granit”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Côte de Brouilly MAGNUM
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon “La Roche Pilée”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2023 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Juliénas “Beauvernay”
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais
2021 Régnié
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2022 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Régnié “Grain & Granit”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Côte de Brouilly MAGNUM
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon “La Roche Pilée”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2023 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Juliénas “Beauvernay”
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais
2021 Régnié
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
Kermit once said...
![Inspiring Thirst](http://s3.amazonaws.com/efcheckout/kermitlynch/content/Kermit-Lynch-Wine-Merchant-Kermit-once-said-image_img_1-13430-medium.jpeg)
Kermit once said...
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