Domaine de la Rocaillere
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Domaine de la Rocaillere,
Ready, but will keep,
The 2017 is the best vintage I’ve tasted of Rocaillère’s old-vine Beaujolais. On the nose, expect aromas of summer pudding and violets, while the palate offers something more profound: grippy tannins and a pronounced mineral character, which speaks of the vineyard’s shallow, rocky (granitic) soils. This super wine is at its vivacious best served lightly chilled, as an accompaniment to charcuterie or hard cheeses.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (winter 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (winter 2019)
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Vincent Fontaine, winemaker-proprietor of this excellent domaine, is a friend and fellow cyclist of Jean-Marc Burgaud, which was how he was introduced to Berry Bros. & Rudd. Domaine de la Rocaillère comprises 20 hectares of vines in the appellation of Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages. Vincent also makes a small quantity of Beaujolais Blanc, from Chardonnay grown on pierre dorée (limestone) in the south of the region. His bread and butter though, is his Beaujolais tout court, which hails from old vines on granite soils comparable to those found in the crus.
Vinification here is traditional for Beaujolais, which is to say the stems are retained, and the grapes undergo semi-carbonic maceration. The wines are aged in a combination of stainless steel and concrete, which Vincent regards as the ideal vessel for Gamay. Vincent’s is a classic, fruit-driven Beaujolais, albeit one with sufficient concentration to drink well for two to three years following the vintage.