Fleurie Cuvee Christie 2020

Christie comes from two parcels and the vines are younger with sandy soil over the decomposed granite. The grapes also see a shorter maceration and produce a more fruit-forward, easy drinking wine, but this is still Roilette so don’t expect glou-glou Bojo Nouveau! Lots of depth and length. Notes of raspberries, wild berries, violets and spices. On the palate, it's medium bodied with a layered core, velvety tannins, and ripe acid.

In Beaujolais, Fernand Coudert purchased and replanted the abandoned Clos de la Roilette vineyard from the Crozet family, whose prized race horse it was named after (thus the label!). Since taking over the estate from his father in 1991, Alain Coudert has become one of the most consistent and respected producers in Beaujolais. Alain was a reluctant vigneron, returning to aid the family after his brother had a serious accident in 1979.

The Clos de la Roilette, in the village of Fleurie (AOC est 1926), covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. The clos has an ideally sloped eastern exposure and borders the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. The land is worked in the lutte raisonee sustainable manner, with no tractor tilling as to not disturb the old vines. The soil is unusual mix of manganese and clay, giving the wines their power and depth, compared to the remainder of Fleurie which is granite.

Vinification is done with native yeast in a semi-carbonic style, using open top neutral vats with the cap kept submerged. The wine is then aged in large oak foudres until they are bottled the following summer. They are deeply coloured, richly perfumed and seriously structured wines of relatively small production.

“Alain Coudert’s Clos de la Roilette is a longtime favorite Fleurie producer whose wines should not be overshadowed by newer, more fad dish uunames.” -Eric Asimov, The New York Times