Notify me
2020 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château ThivinThivin’s Brouilly is no ordinary Brouilly. Much like in Crozes-Hermitage, knowing exactly where the vines are located is key to interpreting potential in Brouilly. Reverdon is a lieu-dit on the pink granite lower slopes of the Côte de Brouilly—a far cry from the clay plains below where much of the Brouilly produced is grown. This terroir is more similar to top-flight Fleurie. (As such, a little-known fact is that its aging potential is roughly equal to the domaine’s storied Côte de Brouilly.) Precision, soaring floral aromatics, finely etched tannins, a ripe core of dense fruit, and a granitic crunch on the back end are the hallmarks of this momentous cuvée from the Geoffray family of Thivin.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Brouilly |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | Château Thivin |
Winemaker: | Claude Geoffray |
Vineyard: | 45 years, 7 ha |
Soil: | Pink granite, sand |
Aging: | Raised in stainless steel cuves before bottling |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Côte-de-Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
March Rouge ~ Nicole Chanrion crafts delicious Beaujolais the traditional way, by hand-harvesting, fermenting with whole clusters, and patiently aging in large oak foudres.
2021 Régnié
France | Beaujolais
Savor it while you can, because your glass will be empty before you know it, leaving you only with the spicy, mineral-laden aftertaste of a bottle that went down way too easily.
2015 Côte-de-Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Nicole's thick, chewy Côte de Brouilly is a delicious and satisfying wine aging at a glacial pace.
2021 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
For lovers of old-fashioned Beaujolais in all its elegant, high-toned, terroir-driven glory.
2022 Brouilly “Reverdon”
France | Beaujolais
The 2021 vintage proved an elegant one for Thivin’s Brouilly, with all the suppleness and tonicity you’d expect from this storied estate.
2021 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
France | Beaujolais
Give the wine a moment to open and you’ll find it unwind, silky and lush with the familiar whispers of juicy blackberries and a bit of hibiscus.
2022 Beaujolais Blanc “Clos de Rochebonne”
France | Beaujolais
A wine with an unexpectedly aromatic bouquet and bright, zippy palate—a testament to the natural elegance that embodies all of Château Thivin’s wines.
2021 Brouilly “Reverdon”
France | Beaujolais
The 2021 vintage proved an elegant one for Thivin’s Brouilly, with all the suppleness and tonicity you’d expect from this storied estate.
2022 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
Not your basic Beaujolais, it showcases pedigreed and assertive fruit that is strikingly substantial for Gamay.
2021 Côte de Brouilly HALF BOTTLE
France | Beaujolais
Cassis, blueberry, violets, plum, and blackberry. In other words, a whole lot of Beaujolais in one bottle!
About The Producer
Château Thivin
It is no surprise that Château Thivin is the benchmark domaine of the Côte de Brouilly; everything about it is exceptional. Built in the fifteenth century on an ancient volcano which juts out steeply into the valley below, Thivin is the oldest estate on Mont Brouilly, In 1976, Richard Olney took Kermit to visit on their first wine trip together. It was Olney’s top recommendation in the whole of the Beaujolais region. The current generation of the Geoffray family continues their tradition. Today their grandnephew Claude, his wife Evelyne, and their son Claude-Edouard continue the tradition as staunch and proud defenders of the terroir of the Côte de Brouilly.
About The Region
Beaujolais
After years of the region’s reputation being co-opted by mass-produced Beaujolais Nouveau and the prevalence of industrial farming, the fortunes of vignerons from the Beaujolais have been on the rise in the past couple of decades. Much of this change is due to Jules Chauvet, a prominent Beaujolais producer who Kermit worked with in the 1980s and arguably the father of the natural wine movement, who advocated not using herbicides or pesticides in vineyards, not chaptalizing, fermenting with ambient yeasts, and vinifying without SO2. Chief among Chauvet’s followers was Marcel Lapierre and his three friends, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thévenet—a group of Morgon producers who Kermit dubbed “the Gang of Four.” The espousal of Chauvet’s methods led to a dramatic change in quality of wines from Beaujolais and with that an increased interest and appreciation for the AOC crus, Villages, and regular Beaujolais bottlings.
The crus of Beaujolais are interpreted through the Gamay grape and each illuminate the variety of great terroirs available in the region. Distinguishing itself from the clay and limestone of Burgundy, Beaujolais soils are predominantly decomposed granite, with pockets of blue volcanic rock. The primary vinification method is carbonic maceration, where grapes are not crushed, but instead whole clusters are placed in a tank, thus allowing fermentation to take place inside each grape berry.
Much like the easy-going and friendly nature of many Beaujolais vignerons, the wines too have a lively and easy-drinking spirit. They are versatile at table but make particularly good matches with the local pork sausages and charcuterie. Though often considered a wine that must be drunk young, many of the top crus offer great aging potential.
More from Beaujolais or France
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly HALF BOTTLE
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly “Cuvée Zaccharie”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte de Brouilly HALF BOTTLE
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Côte-de-Brouilly
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Perle de Gamay”
Nicole Chanrion France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais-Villages “Cuvée Marylou”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
Vintage Chart Mentality
Vintage Chart Mentality
Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch