2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Chardonnay doesn’t spring to mind upon hearing the name Thévenet, a domain known for elegant, unadulterated Gamay from Régnié and Morgon. But a surprising blanc emerges from a small parcel rich with red clay soil, aptly named “Terrain Rouge.” In classic Thévenet fashion, the wine is bright and energetic—a snappy Beaujolais Blanc that tastes like fresh green apple skin with a whisper of gentian.
—Allyson Noman
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Beaujolais |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Winemaker: | Jean-Paul & Charly Thévenet |
Vineyard: | 6 years old, .5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Morgon
La Soeur Cadette France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais | Fleurie
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.
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais | Morgon
La Soeur Cadette France | Beaujolais | Juliénas
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais Villages
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais | Morgon
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais | Côte-de-Brouilly
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais | Côte de Brouilly
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais | Beaujolais
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.
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