2022 Régnié, Les Vergers, Domaine de Vernus, Beaujolais
Critics reviews
The 2022 Régnié Les Vergers has an elegant and cohesive bouquet of attractive brambly red fruit laced with Earl Grey (actually reminiscent of Philippe Viet). The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fresh and crisp with bright red fruit, white pepper and light tertiary notes emerging toward the controlled and elegant finish. There's a bit of panache here.
Drink 2025 - 2034
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (March 2024)
Stunning nose of wildflowers and berries, but that doesn't prepare you for the combination of concentration, excellent tannin structure and stony minerality on the very focused, medium-bodied palate. Really long, energetic finish. Sustainable. Drink or hold.
Stuart Pigott, JamesSuckling.com (May 2024)
About this WINE
Domaine de Vernus
The Domaine de Vernus is a new estate created in 2019, and owned by Frédéric Jametton, an ex-insurance broker. The estate is in the heart of the vineyards of the Régnié-Durette municipality. The property is steeped in history and is located on the heights near the Cadole and Vergers plots. It has a panoramic view of Mont Brouilly and the hilly Beaujolais countryside.
Domaine de Vernus is run by famous consultant winemaker, Guillaume Rouget, son of Emmanuel Rouget. Producing red, mostly Crus, from their 12 hectares of vines and a sustainable approach to viticulture.
The philosophy of Domaine de Vernus is right out of the Burgundian playbook: Seek out small plots of old goblet vines within the finest Crus, eschew chemicals, restore soil health, and harvest at lower yields. In the winery, they destem depending on the character of the vintage, ferment in stainless steel, and then mature the wines in Burgundian oak barrels.
Regnie
Régnié was upgraded to full Beaujolais Cru status in December 1988 and is located between Morgon and Brouilly, east of Beaujeu. Growers here claim (as do those in Juliénas) to be the first village in Beaujolais to be planted with vines. Stylistically the wines fall into two camps, light and aromatic, and rich and savoury; nevertheless the sandy soils bestow both with an attractive, supple character and vibrant aromatics. Most wines are best drunk young (2-3 years) but can age up to 10 years in the finest vintages.
It will be interesting to see how Régnié develops but as anyone with experience of French administrative processes will testify, the fact that the communes of Régnié-Durette and Lantignié succeeded in getting their wines upgraded (the first change since 1946) is proof of their commitment and passion; and this alone should stand them in good stead for the future.
Gamay
A French variety planted predominately in Beaujolais where it is the grape behind everything from light and often acidic Beaujolais Nouveau through to the more serious and well-structured wines from the 10 cru villages. It takes its name from a hamlet just outside Chassagne-Montrachet and was at one stage widely planted on the Côte d`Or. However it was gradually phased out due to its poor yield and supposed poor quality of its wines.
The majority of Gamay wines in Beaujolais are labelled as Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages and are deliciously juicy, easy drinking, gulpable wines. Of more interest are the Cru wines from the 10 villages in the north of the region where the soil is predominantly granitic schist and where the vines are planted on gently undulating slopes. These can be well-structured, intensely perfumed wines, redolent of ripe black fruits and, while delicious young, will reward medium term cellaring.
Gamay is also grown in the Touraine region of the Loire where it produces soft, well-balanced, gluggable wines for drinking young.
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Description
Les Vergers comes from 67 year old vines and is located right beside Chateau des Vergers from where it holds its name. The nose here is Chambolesque with loads of elegant red and black fruit alongside perfumed floral notes, piercing intensity, complexity and elegance - wow. On the palate we find the same elegance and concentration, great ripe tannins. This is much more delicate and ethereal compared to the Regnie Vernus parcel.
Yoan Bernard, Fine Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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