Clos de la Roilette - Fleurie 2022

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From vines around 40 years old and up, on heavy clay soils with relatively little granite and quite a lot of the iron-like mineral manganese. The farming is sustainable or lutte raisonnée. All vineyard work is by hand; the soils are worked only superficially, at most twice per year, to protect the roots of the older vines. Vinification is traditional, semi-carbonic Beaujolais style. The whole clusters are harvested by hand and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in open-top concrete tank. Maceration lasts around 14 days for the "regular" Fleurie, with a submerged cap rather than punchdowns.

There is no shortage of ripeness in the 2022 "Clos de la Roilette" Fleurie from our friend Alain Coudert, but despite the 14% of alcohol, this wine is just delightlful, showing charming, pure raspberry fruit with aromas that are delicate and floral but lush and deep at the same time. The full-bodied palate is beautifully textured and balanced by bright acidity with earth and mineral flavors beneath the lovely dense fruit. Serve this gorgeous wine a bit cool over the next five to eight years, pure enjoyment!

Clos de la Roilette Description

In the 1920s, when the Fleurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-à-Vent appellation under which he had previously been classified. He created a label, using a photograph of his horse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette, without mentioning Fleurie. The current label does mention the name of the appellation, but only as a subscript.

Coudert's Fleurie, often better known as "that delicious wine with the Horse on the label", comes from the Clos de la Roilette, in the village of Fleurie The vineyard has an eastern exposure that borders the Moulin-à-Vent and is situated on one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. Father-son winemaking team, Fernand and Alain Coudert, say their particular terroir (mainly clay and manganese), and the age of their vines (25 to 33 years-old) account for the richness of their Fleurie.