Notify me
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
Nicole ChanrionNicole Chanrion’s son Romain recently joined her full time and this new cuvée is his brainchild. Made from Gamay, using direct press, this white wine has no—or very few—peers in Beaujolais. Open this bottle, bearing notes of stones, pear, and citrus, as a refreshing, mineral apéritif or alongside your favorite fresh seafood. You will be amazed that the same grapes can result in both this and Chanrion’s outstanding red Côte-de-Brouilly.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Nicole Chanrion |
Winemaker: | Nicole Chanrion |
Vineyard: | .27 ha, Planted in 1970s |
Soil: | Clay |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Beaujolais-Villages
France | Beaujolais
October Club Gourmand ~ Silky and seductive, with notes of rose petals, red berries, and stones.
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
France | Beaujolais
This cuvée shares the satin texture of all Foillard Morgons, and should age similarly well for those willing and able to wait.
2023 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
France | Beaujolais
French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan says nostalgia is the longing for a past that never was. But, hand to god, this year's Cuvee Marylou tastes just like the raspberry thumbprint cookies my mother used to make for Christmas.
2023 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
Soulful and savory, with notes of cherries, iron, and smoke, this is cru Beaujolais built to last.
2017 Côte-de-Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Just five large casks are filled each year of this bright purple, heavenly scented, juicy Côte-de-Brouilly.
2022 Côte-de-Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Nicole Chanrion crafts delicious Beaujolais the traditional way, by hand-harvesting, fermenting with whole clusters, and patiently aging in large oak foudres.
2019 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.
2022 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
France | Beaujolais
This is a true homage cuvée, with an old-fashioned soul and vibrant energy.
2022 Régnié
France | Beaujolais
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.
2020 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Alex Foillard fashions a Côte-de-Brouilly that strikes a deeper register, saturating the senses with tooth-staining fruit, gritty earth, and just a touch of the good funk.
About The Producer
Nicole Chanrion
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
2019 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2022 Régnié “En Voiture Simone”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais-Villages
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Fleurie
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais Blanc
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2019 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2022 Régnié “En Voiture Simone”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais-Villages
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Fleurie
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2023 Beaujolais Blanc
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch