2023 Lafarge Vial - Chiroubles (750ml)

Frédéric Lafarge, of the well-known Domaine Michel Lafarge in Volnay, and his wife, Chantal Vial, left Burgundy in 2014 to build something new in Beaujolais, bringing a Burgundian sense of patience and precision to the region's granite hillsides. The couple's biodynamic, Demeter-certified domaine has grown to roughly 6.5 hectares spread across Fleurie, Chiroubles, and Côte de Brouilly, and their children, Maxime-Henri and Clothilde, are now stepping in to carry the project forward.

Chiroubles sits at the highest elevation of any Beaujolais cru, with the domaine's vines, averaging around seventy years old, planted near 400 meters on granite and quartz soils that give the appellation its characteristically lifted, fragrant style. In the cellar, roughly eighty percent of the grapes are destemmed by hand before a two-week fermentation with ambient yeasts, gentle daily pump-overs, and occasional punch-downs. The wine then ages for fifteen months in a mix of used Burgundy barrels and foudres brought over from the family's Volnay domaine.

The 2023 offers a vibrant medley of raspberry and blueberry fruit with delicate notes of fresh-cut lilac and violet, airy and round on the palate with a refreshingly saline finish. It stands as the most immediately approachable wine in the Lafarge-Vial range. Pair it with grilled salmon, charcuterie, or a fresh chèvre.