Domaine de Fa Fleurie Roche Guillon

Description

The legendary Graillot family has a long history of making wine in the Northern Rhone, where their ability to produce some of the most age-worthy and delicious Syrah is matched by only a select few producers. Owner and winemaker for both Domaine des Lises and Domaine Alain Graillot, Maxime Graillot and his brother Antoine, decided to look North in order to satiate their immense hunger for new challenges that extend beyond the dramatic slopes of the Rhone Valley. Their love of Gamay led them to the bucolic vistas of Beaujolais. The two brothers struck gold in 2013 when they discovered and purchased a 5 hectare vineyard named ‘En Besset’, located in the northernmost section of the appellation near Saint Amour and Julienas. The high altitude, stony hillside allowed them to make some serious Gamay with the juicy, wonderful freshness and florality of a Fleurie balanced by the old vine backbone of a granite laden Moulin à Vent. With this debut, the Graillot family has announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with in a region that is currently experiencing a vinicultural Renaissance.

Domaine de Fa Fleurie Roche Guillon is one of the first Beaujolais releases from the Graillot brothers, Maxime and Antoine; in 2013, they ventured north from the Rhone to purchase several small vineyards in Fleurie and Saint-Amour. Currently certified organic, their parcels are being converted to biodynamics. This vineyard sits at a high-point in Fleurie, an elevation close to 1,000 feet, on a west-facing hill where it grew a boldly complex, luxuriously ripe, compelling 2015, harnessing the power of the vintage to best advantage. It’s difficult to say exactly what it tastes like, as it tastes like many things-profoundly ripe black cherries, dried Bing cherries, almond skin, sage-but, mostly, it just tastes like itself and keeps you wanting more.