Beaujolais: to discover without delay

In the hinterland of Puligny-Montrachet, a prestigious appellation of the Côte de Beaune, there is a village named after an important grape variety: Gamay . Resulting from a natural cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, Gamay was the second grape variety of Burgundy until Philippe le Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1363 –1404), banned it from his vineyard by the edict of 1395, thus exiling Gamay south of Mâcon. A chance because it expresses itself excellently on granite soils. He therefore naturally asserted himself in his favorite terrain, Beaujolais. In the vintage areas but also in Beaujolais-Villages or generic Beaujolais, with yields controlled at 550 grams per square meter, Gamay produces easy-drinking, fruity and elegant wines. The watchword is therefore not “never Gamay” but rather “Gamay forever”.

With a number of vines varying between 9,000 and 13,000 per ha, the Beaujolais vineyard has one of the highest Gamay planting density in the world.

A large part is grown in cups with three or four branches attached to a stake. The harvest is done manually on plants that barely reach hip height. Another particularity, the traditional vinification method called “carbonic maceration” requires whole bunches to be placed in vats. Under the weight of the bunches, 10 to 30% of the grapes at the bottom of the vat are crushed, releasing juice which goes into fermentation. Gradually the CO2 released by fermentation saturates the air in the vat and thus, the juice from the top bunches ferments inside the berries. What emerges are the aromas of bananas and ripe pears typical of Beaujolais wines.