2016 Beaujolais

This exceptional Fleurie combines the lifted, floral bouquet typical of the appellation with the density of fruit and tannin specific to the south-facing Moriers vineyard. Drink 2019 to 2025.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)

An absolutely stunning Vin de France born of adversity: hail wreaked havoc on Julien’s domaine in spring 2016, prompting him to de-classify a proportion of his crop and blend it with grapes bought from a friend. Nevertheless, Wild Soul boasts the intense red fruit and floral aromas that are hallmarks of Julien’s wines – there’s also more than a hint of watercolour paint, a happy consequence of carbonic maceration, which also accounts for the mouth-watering juiciness of the palate. Like Julien’s equally fabulous Fleurie and Régnié, Wild Soul is 100% Gamay from old vines (an average of 65 years in this case) on steep granitic slopes.
There could be no better accompaniment to a plate of charcuterie.
Will Heslop, Buyer. Berry Bros. & Rudd.

As ever, this is Louis’s richest and most serious wine, displaying a nose of rich, black fruit and savoury spice. There is still wonderful purity, along with an enormous density of black cherry fruit at the core. The structure is equally dense and present, but is balanced by the softness in the mid-palate. Once again, the lingering impression is one of freshness and energy. A wine which needs significant time to realise its potential. Drink 2022-2030.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The excellence of Cru Beaujolais is something I have held dear for some time, but its ageing potential was first brought to my attention when I was served two Moulin-à-Vent wines from 1961 and 1962 produced by Camille Giroud. The freshness and complexity of these wines was simply astonishing and I have since made it something of a personal mission to return these great wines to their rightful place in the cellars and on the tables of the most discerning wine drinkers. The wines in our offer cover a range of styles; whole-bunch, de-stemmed, oaked, unoaked, elegant and floral, dense and structured. This almost endless variety and versatility is what is most fascinating about Gamay grown on Beaujolais’s volcanic soils. What the wines have in common, however, is that they all offer excellent value for money and great drinking pleasure.

Recent vintages of Olivier’s Moulin-à-Vent wines have shown a move to a more elegant, less-extracted style, reducing the proportion of new oak That is not to say, however, that he has lost any of the classic pink granite expression for which Moulin-à-Vent is famous. From vines mostly planted in 1937, there is a real energy and concentration here. Rich red fruit combines with smoky pepper notes and a gorgeous floral perfume, while the stony tannins and incredible length point to great ageing potential. Drink 2020-2028.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The excellence of Cru Beaujolais is something I have held dear for some time, but its ageing potential was first brought to my attention when I was served two Moulin-à-Vent wines from 1961 and 1962 produced by Camille Giroud. The freshness and complexity of these wines was simply astonishing and I have since made it something of a personal mission to return these great wines to their rightful place in the cellars and on the tables of the most discerning wine drinkers. The wines in our offer cover a range of styles; whole-bunch, de-stemmed, oaked, unoaked, elegant and floral, dense and structured. This almost endless variety and versatility is what is most fascinating about Gamay grown on Beaujolais’s volcanic soils. What the wines have in common, however, is that they all offer excellent value for money and great drinking pleasure.

Thibault has made this cuvée since the 2009 vintage, having identified the site as special and isolated it from the blended Vieilles Vignes wine. The vines are at the bottom of the hill, on quite deep soils with a mix of blue/pink sandy granite and silt. The result is a rounded and soft expression of Moulin-à-Vent, arguably the most approachable of the range. There is a spicy, peppery Syrah note to the nose, then a touch of black olive and rich, concentrated red-black fruit, with sophisticated, silky tannins on the palate. Drink 2020-2026.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The excellence of Cru Beaujolais is something I have held dear for some time, but its ageing potential was first brought to my attention when I was served two Moulin-à-Vent wines from 1961 and 1962 produced by Camille Giroud. The freshness and complexity of these wines was simply astonishing and I have since made it something of a personal mission to return these great wines to their rightful place in the cellars and on the tables of the most discerning wine drinkers. The wines in our offer cover a range of styles; whole-bunch, de-stemmed, oaked, unoaked, elegant and floral, dense and structured. This almost endless variety and versatility is what is most fascinating about Gamay grown on Beaujolais’s volcanic soils. What the wines have in common, however, is that they all offer excellent value for money and great drinking pleasure.

The Lafarges used 15 percent whole-bunch across the range in 2016, with a mixture of remontage and gentle pigeage. Having begun the project in 2014 using 228-litre barrels from Domaine Lafarge, they are generally moving towards foudres and larger barrels as they learn more about Gamay on granite soils. This wine comes from just over a hectare of 60-year-old vines planted on decomposed granite soils on a steep slope opposite La Madone. There is lovely purity on the nose, while the palate is complex and fine, with rounded tannins. There is a good weight of crunchy red-berry fruit and a firm but precise granitic structure which points to good ageing potential. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

The excellence of Cru Beaujolais is something I have held dear for some time, but its ageing potential was first brought to my attention when I was served two Moulin-à-Vent wines from 1961 and 1962 produced by Camille Giroud. The freshness and complexity of these wines was simply astonishing and I have since made it something of a personal mission to return these great wines to their rightful place in the cellars and on the tables of the most discerning wine drinkers. The wines in our offer cover a range of styles; whole-bunch, de-stemmed, oaked, unoaked, elegant and floral, dense and structured. This almost endless variety and versatility is what is most fascinating about Gamay grown on Beaujolais’s volcanic soils. What the wines have in common, however, is that they all offer excellent value for money and great drinking pleasure.