Notify me
2021 Juliénas
La Soeur Cadette
Vézelay, a small Chardonnay appellation in northern Burgundy, has a marginal climate that can give growers serious headaches. The 2016 vintage epitomized these challenges, as a devastating frost in late April severely affected the harvest to come. Valentin Montanet of La Sœur Cadette reported losses up to 80%—truly catastrophic for a small-scale producer. With most of Burgundy ravaged by frost, Valentin looked to the south to purchase grapes in order to supplement what remained of his harvest. This decision also gave him a chance to vinify Beaujolais, an idea he had long entertained, and one that has brought him great joy since he launched the project in 2016.
Now, several years into his Beaujolais venture, Valentin has learned a few tricks about working with Gamay. While his first vintages had a more "Burgundian" personality—elegant, thought-provoking—his latest vintage makes it hard to tell he hasn't been making Beaujolais his whole life. His 2019 Juliénas, sourced from an organically farmed vineyard on granite soil, is textbook cru Beaujolais: very aromatic with loads of fresh Gamay fruit, it flows over the palate with a juicy buoyancy that simply makes it hard to resist.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Juliénas |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Domaine de la Cadette |
Vineyard: | 30-45 years, 2.5 ha |
Soil: | Granite |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2023 Bourgogne Rouge “L’Ermitage”
France | Burgundy
A beautiful Cadette rouge with a bit more structure and plenty of pleasure.

2023 Côte de Brouilly MAGNUM
France | Beaujolais
Château Thivin’s Côte de Brouilly seamlessly fuses pleasure, class, and intellect.

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
France | Beaujolais
A relatively new addition to Guy Breton’s Beaujolais lineup, this exuberant Côte de Brouilly is flat-out delicious.

2023 Bourgogne Rouge “Champs Cadet”
France | Burgundy
This is young Pinot at its best: aromatic, expressive, and a true pleasure to drink.

2022 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
France | Beaujolais
April Club Rouge ~ Floral and succulent, bursting with notes of little red berries, but it is also delicate and light on its feet.

2023 Vézelay Blanc “La Châtelaine”
France | Burgundy
La Châtelaine highlights what may be the best terroir of Vézelay and why this little appellation is on the map in the first place.

2023 Morgon “Côte du Py”
France | Beaujolais
Serious minerality, with earthy stone and plum notes.

2023 Beaujolais MAGNUM
France | Beaujolais
This Beaujolais offers the drinkability of the most effusive Morgons with the frankness of a chiseled Moulin-à-Vent.

2022 Fleurie
France | Beaujolais
An opulent, mouth-filling expression of granitic terroir, this bottling has the delicate floral nuances and fine-grained tannin that differentiates Fleurie from the other crus.
About The Producer
Domaine de la Cadette
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 Fleurie
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2023 Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2024 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2024 Beaujolais Villages Rosé
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Chénas “Chassignol”
Domaine Thillardon France | Beaujolais
2022 Régnié
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2023 Juliénas “Beauvernay”
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais
2022 Fleurie
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2023 Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2024 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2024 Beaujolais Villages Rosé
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Chénas “Chassignol”
Domaine Thillardon France | Beaujolais
2022 Régnié
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2023 Juliénas “Beauvernay”
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117