2024 Clos de la Roilette - Fleurie (750ml)

Clos de la Roilette takes its unusual name from a dispute dating back to the 1920s, when Fleurie was carved out as its own appellation and the clos's landowner at the time was furious to lose his previous Moulin-à-Vent classification. In protest, he labeled his wine with a photograph of his racehorse, Roilette, and left Fleurie off the label entirely, refusing to sell a drop in France and shipping instead to Switzerland, Germany, and England. By the 1960s the vineyard had fallen into neglect until the Coudert family took it over; Fernand Coudert began restoring the property, and his son Alain, who joined in 1984, has served as winemaker ever since.

The clos covers nine hectares on an east-facing slope bordering Moulin-à-Vent, one of the most prized sites among the Beaujolais crus. Unlike much of Fleurie, which sits on granite, Roilette's soils lean heavily on clay and the mineral manganese, giving its wines more structure than is typical for the appellation. Grapes are hand-harvested as whole clusters and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in open-top concrete tanks, macerating for around two weeks with a submerged cap, then aged for about nine months in large, old oak foudres with minimal added sulfur.

The 2024 shows a deep garnet color with intense aromas of black cherry, raspberry, violet, stone, and a whisper of smoke and black pepper. Pair it with grilled lamb, duck breast, or a rustic country pâté.