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BEAUJOLAIS
– HISTORY –
The granite on the outskirts of Mâcon, the capital
of southern Burgundy, connects with the claylimestone
soils of the south, near Lyon, one of
France’s largest cities and once the capital of the
Gauls. Here, the ‘terroir’ borders on perfection.
The 15,000 hectares of Beaujolais vineyards deliver a raft
of outstanding natural qualities, which pundits for some
years now have extolled. The much-maligned region
of the past was long marred by the marketing image of
Beaujolais Nouveau, released every third Thursday in
November, which ultimately did a disservice to its quality
endorsement, just waiting to be explored. Whilst the earlydrinking
offering helped raise awareness of the appellation,
its unbridled productivity unfortunately culminated in the
emergence of vapid quaffers. Fortunately, winegrowers
have worked hard to reverse this detrimental trend and
now produce wonderful pours showing great finesse
and fruit. On the palate, these pleasurable wines display
beautiful structure, and a crisp, moreish edge with soft
tannins. Beaujolais’ pedigree is being reinstated while the
appellation is also successfully appealing to a younger and
more international audience. Read on for the proof!
Harvesting grapes at the Grands Vins de Fleurie winery
SAINT-AMOUR: A NAME MADE IN HEAVEN
For those unfamiliar with it, it is an astonishing ritual.
Couples travel from around the world to Saint-Amour
to confirm their wedding vows in this most aptly-named
village. Over the years, the appellation’s most northerly
Cru has carved out a reputation for itself as a Beaujolais
benchmark. Since 1927, the Grands Vins de Fleurie winery
has successfully captured and revealed the typicity of its
many vineyard sites, producing lively, balanced Saint-
Amour wines. “From the valley floor to the upper slopes,
each vineyard site with its granite and siliceous-clay soils,
pebbles and layered schist tells our story through each
of our wines”, muses Guillaume Manin, who has been
the winery’s chairman since 2018. “The different sites
differentiate our wines and their characters”. Fruity, full
of generosity and indulgent flavours, Saint-Amour wines
show off a distinctive sparkling garnet hue with purple
tints. Their warm nose opens up to intense notes of black
fruits such as blackberry or blueberry before flowing into
liquorice nuances. With beautiful intensity, their subtlety
Guillaume Manin, chairman of the Grands
Vins de Fleurie winery since 2018
SUMMER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 45