Lafarge Vial - Chiroubles 2018 (Pre-arrival)

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A View from the Cellar: 92 Points

The 2018 Chiroubles from the Lafarge family is a beautiful example of the vintage. The wine was raised in 3,000 liter foudres and included twenty-five percent whole clusters in this year. It was harvested on August 31st and was bottled at the start of November of 2019, so the wine was showing very nicely when I tasted it in the cellars in Volnay. The bouquet is bright and sappy, wafting from the glass in a mix of cherries, sweet cranberries, gamebird, a really fine base of minerality and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and succulent on the attack, with a fine core of fruit, good mineral drive and a long, tangy and beautifully balanced finish. This is really lovely.

Burghound: 91 Points

Wine Advocate: 91 Points

Offering up inviting aromas of blackberries, cassis and cherries mingled with hints of licorice and grilled meats, the 2018 Chiroubles is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a generous core of lively fruit, tangy acids and fine, powdery tannin. This characterful, classically proportioned Chiroubles is a great success. The fourth vintage of Beaujolais newcomer Domaine Lafarge-Vial is a great success, and I found much to admire in all these new releases. Acquired in 2014 by Volnay's Frédéric Lafarge and his wife Chantal, née Vial, this four-hectare domaine is biodynamically farmed. The grapes are partially destemmed and fermented with punch-downs and pump-overs during the maceration, followed by pressing in a vertical press. Maturation is in well-used cooperage from the Domaine Lafarge in Volnay. The result is old-school cru Beaujolais, built to age. Any readers looking for Gamay that will converge with great Pinot Noir should look no further. (WK)