100% Gamay. From 50-year-old vines on heavy clay soils with relatively little granite and quite a lot of the iron-like mineral manganese. The farming is sustainable. All vineyard work is by hand; the soils are worked only superficially, at most twice per year, to protect the roots of these old...

100% Gamay. From the oldest estate vines, which are 80 years old and up, on heavy clay soils with relatively little granite and quite a lot of the iron-like mineral manganese. "Tardive" does not mean that the harvest is late but rather is a reference to the wine's ability and need to age for years...

100% Gamay. From Jean-Paul Brun's organically farmed estate Gamay vines on clay-limestone soils in hilly Charnay in the southern Beaujolais. The name "FRV100" is a play on the word “effervescent”--which becomes more apparent when you sound out the letters and number in French--and is indicative of...

100% Chardonnay. On his home estate in hilly Charnay in the southern Beaujolais, Jean-Paul Brun started planting Chardonnay in 1983 on the sandy clay-limestone soils. The farming is organic and harvest is by hand. The bunches are destemmed and fermented with native yeasts and without sulfur in...

100% Gamay. L'Ancien comes from Jean Paul's oldest vines--hence the name of the wine--in his home village of Charnay in the southern Beaujolais. They range in age from 40 to 60 years old and are planted on slopes sporting the area's signature sandy clay-limestone soils, featuring the particular...

100% Gamay. Jean-Paul's Moulin-à-Vent comes from 30-45-year-old vines in the lieu-dit called La Tour du Bief. They are midslope on a hill near the famous windmill for which Moulin-à-Vent was named. The ancient metamorphic soils are decomposed pink granite with heavy clay into which the roots go...

100% Gamay. Montpelain is a lieu-dit in the NE corner of Morgon in the climat of Douby, along the Fleurie border. Desvignes used to include this 0.75-hectare plot of 80-year-old vines in their entry-level "La Voûte Saint-Vincent", but its strong old-vine character warranted its separation starting...

100% Gamay. From 3 hectares of vines in the historic Morgon lieu-dit of Javernières at the foot of the famous hill of the Côte du Py. The soils are much heavier with deep, iron-rich, red clay here versus the more schistous "rotten rock" up the Py hill. The vines are certified-organic, are 40 years...

100% Gamay. Château Gaillard is a lieu-dit in the NE corner of Morgon in the climat of Douby, along the Fleurie border. Desvignes used to include this 1.03-hectare plot of 80-year-old, south-facing vines in their entry-level "La Voûte Saint-Vincent", but its strong old-vine character warranted its...

100% Gamay. About  mere 0.5 of Georges Descombes' 15 hectares of vines are in the Chiroubles cru. There is only one Chiroubles bottling. The vines are 50 years and older, planted on hilly sites of decomposed granite soils. The farming is organic, though not certified, and the harvest is manual. The...

100% Gamay. About 3.5 of Georges Descombes' 15 hectares of vines are in the Brouilly cru; he also purchases a bit of Brouily fruit. There are two Brouilly bottlings: one from the oldest vines and this one, from the younger vines, which range 5 up to almost 50 years old. All are planted on hilly...

100% Gamay. About half of Georges Descombes' 15 hectares of vines are in the Morgon cru, spread amongst a number of different, mainly hilly parcels that are rich in decomposed-granite soils. The rare "Vermont" bottling, named for the hamlet in which the Descombes family live and grow and make wine...

Saint Amour is bounding with juicy raspberry fruit. It's full of energy with great minerality and silky tannins. Saint Amour has the most diverse geology of all of the Cru Beaujolais. Pirolette is distinct because the vineyards are near the top of the hill, where you have very little top soil and...