One of the benefits of staying in Macon is the close proximity to a number of different wine areas, so on Thursday we headed 30 minutes south and into prime Beaujolais Cru territory. Beaujolais as a region often sits in the shadow of the more famous Burgundian names further north, and the Gamay grape is never destined to reach the giddy heights of Pinot Noir. Add that to the effect of Beaujolais Nouveau in creating a cheap and cheerful image which has frustrated the high quality aspirations and perceptions of many estates. However, the last few years for the region have been very positive with some superb recent vintages and a big effort to educate the public about the serious quality that is produced.
Our first visit was to the historic Château du Moulin à Vent in Romaneche Thorins. Records date back to 1732 and it has been long established as a top class producer. Our visit was hosted very eloquently by Popka Wood which started with a discussion on the terrace looking over the AOC vineyards and understanding the nuances of the granite and manganese veined soil, the vigour of the Gamay grape and the effect of the wind through the valley. This really enhanced our understanding of the subtle differences from area to area as we saw at first hand the densely planted gobelet pruned vines.
From the terrace, we wandered through the winery into the stunning, ancient underground cellar where some of their wines are matured in barrel and then we headed into their esteemed Clos de Londres vineyard with its gnarly 60 year old vines.
From the vineyard into the tasting which gave us a fabulous insight and understanding of the different terroir within the estate. Kicking off with their estate Moulin à Vent 2020 and continuing with their Les Verillants, Champ de Cour and La Rochelle lieux-dit wines – all from 2020 – they showed distinct variation depending on the site and ranging from cooler austere styles through to more open and approachable. 2020 was a great vintage and it was clear that they needed more time. We were then presented with the opportunity to taste the Clos de Londres 2015 which was superb. The extra bottle age had created a stunningly rich and powerful wine which would undoubtedly age for another 20 years. A great visit.
A short hop took us Les Maritonnes restaurant in Fleurie where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of salmon in a gravadlax style, tender pink duck and a clever chocolate creation as dessert.
Washed down with a wonderful Beaujolais Blanc, Viré-Clessé and a Regnié – one of the newest Beaujolais cru that was awarded its AOC in 1988.
No time to rest as our final stop of the days was only ten minutes away in Château de Poncié. This is a truly historic property where records go back to 949 when it was a Roman villa called Villa Lanciago. The charming Robin Allouin took us for a walk to view the Fleurie vineyards which contrasted nicely with our discussion earlier in the morning.
Into the cellar and we witnessed some traditional cement tanks before settling into our tasting. It was a truly wonderful array of wines with a white (labelled as Beaujolais Villages), a Beaujolais Villages red and then four contrasting Fleuries. The quality was stunning and we noted just how good the 2018 vintage was – producing wonderfully rich and fruity wines.
This was another great visit that really showed the quality of the Gamay grape and contrasted the Fleurie style with the Moulin à Vents earlier in the day.
I am confident that everyone came away with a much enhanced understanding of the Gamay grape, the Beaujolais Cru and the region as a whole.
