Jean-Paul might not forgive us for mentioning this, but a fond memory from 2001 involved sitting outside his garage, watching a recently acquired swimming pool robot do its work. He had a huge grin on his face, as if nothing in the world was better or more interesting than watching a small machine work its way around his pool. In the decade since then, we’ve become utterly convinced that he takes just as much satisfaction from a job well done in his vineyards and cellars, growing and making a range of distinctive, terroir-driven wines.
Jean-Paul works extremely hard in every single one of his plots, whether the grapes end up in a lieu-dit bottling (such as the powerful, punchy ‘Le Buissy’) or the ‘L’Ancien’, so named because he wanted to adhere to ancient methods of wine making. He’s not an ideologue – he uses some chemicals in the vineyard (but rarely), and chaptalises, especially to prolong fermentations – but he is very much a purist as a craftsman, aiming to express the natural fruit of the Gamay grape and the differences between his varied plots.
We are extremely fortunate to have secured allocations for all his wines, from the fun and zesty FRV100, his now-classic L’Ancien, through to the various crus (Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin à Vent), as well as the delicious, gulpable Beaujolais Blanc Classic (Chardonnay).
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