Cru Beaujolais
by Chris Santini
2023 Moulin-à-Vent “Vieilles Vignes”
France | Beaujolais
Moulin-à-Vent’s nickname here in France, “Lord of Beaujolais,” is a nod to this terroir’s predisposition to make dark, luscious, black cherry and cassis infused wines. For a long time, these majestic beauties were quite a stark contrast to the cru’s neighbors, who were producing light quaffers, though a string of warmer vintages seems to have leveled the playing field a bit recently. Moulin-à-Vent, especially from Diochon’s old vines sitting at the heart of the appellation, still has a unique, earthy, chewy edge to it that you just can’t find anywhere else. Something to sink your teeth into!
2022 Côte-de-Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
You can’t miss the Mont Brouilly as you arrive in the Beaujolais, with its domed shape and steep slopes covered top to bottom on all sides by vines. What you can’t see without a careful look, however, is the small chapel that sits atop. This little old chapel, the wonderfully named “Notre Dame des Raisins,” is dedicated wholly to the adoration and worship of wine. Each year, just before harvest, the growers of the Mont Brouilly hike up to the chapel, each bringing a few bunches of grapes freshly cut from their vines, where a priest blesses the grapes and the new vintage before declaring, in classic Beaujolais fashion, that the party is on, and a large celebration ensues. Chanrion’s Côte-de-Brouilly is loads of fun—juicy, round, structured, yet always elegant and focused. A classic favorite.
2023 Morgon
France | Beaujolais
There’s a word I still struggle to translate from French, gourmandise, which refers to something one eats or drinks, not out of any kind of hunger or thirst, but rather for the pure pleasure of it all. Something that brings out an irresistible urge for self-indulgence of deliciousness. In other words, Lapierre’s Morgon! Perhaps that is the best translation after all. Pure gourmandise.
More from the January 2025 Newsletter
