GRANDES MISES
CÔTE-DE-BROUILLY 2020
Grape varietal
Black Gamay with white juice.
Serving suggestions
Serve ideally at a temperature of 15°C to 18°C. (59-65°F.).
Food and wine pairing
A good match with old-fashionned chicken-liver gateau or meat/poultry dishes in sauce, such as duck magrets, or with goat cheese.
Ageing potential
A wine full of charm and vivacity in its youth. It will develop finesse and elegance after several years (3 to 8 years).
Origins
The appellation “Côte-de-Brouilly” was first authorised in 1934 with the vineyard owners on the Brouilly hillside concerned that the wine would lose its identity with the recent extension of the “Broully” appellation. Côte-de-Brouilly is considered richer and more structured in style than Brouilly.
Terroir
The vineyard, situated totally on the steep slopes of Mount Brouilly is at 400 metres and faces South- West.
It is on granite and very hard schist, of blue colour referred to ask “diorites”.
Mount Brouilly is a former volcano dating back to the Primary era.
Vine and soil
Age of Vines: 56 years-old.
Yield: 52 hectolitres per hectare.
Plots: From a selected vineyard situated at the base of the steep Mont Brouilly slopes, with a rigorous selection on the property of the partner-grower. The vineyard faces East but benefits from fine sunshine thanks to the rounded hillside. The vines are pruned “en gobelet” and managed with sustainable farming methods.
Vintage : 2020
Gorgeous colors and mouth-filling wines
Winter 2019-2020 was the warmest in France since the beginning of the 20th century. There was no hard frost at all. The average temperatures in the Beaujolais region over the first four months of the year were the mildest since 1947!
Very fine grapes that are extremely aromatic. The quantity of the harvest has varied from appellation to appellation and terroir to terroir. Intense colour and good acidity.
The harvests:
18th August: the harvest begins with the Côte de Brouilly (21 days ahead of 2019!)
20th August: Beaujolais-Villages.
28th August: the whole Beaujolais region is hard at work.
19th September: the harvest finishes.
This year has been marked by tremendous diversity between different plots, these having reacted differently to the extreme weather conditions (lack of rain over much of the year and hot conditions). Some plots have lost a lot of juice, others have coped marvellously well! Several factors account for these differences: the soil, siting and exposure to sunlight, age, the yield of individual vines etc…
As a result, key variables are different from one wine to another. Potential alcohol fluctuates between 12° and 15°. The Gamays have good aromatic potential with a thick epicuticular wax layer (bloom).
This year we have favoured destemming with long maceration periods to really bring out the elegance of this vintage. Obviously, the traditional semi-carbonic maceration approach used in tandem with vendange entière is still called for to draw out our Gamay’s aromatic subtlety, not to mention hot pre-fermentative maceration to extract as much colour as possible from the grapes that were most affected by drought.
Initial tastings, Lydie Nesme:
‘It’s a journey through the senses that’s intense and complex, a real pleasure for the taste buds, with aromas of raspberry, cherry, morello cherry and even pear! It’s a real delight to test the must with all the gorgeous colours it exhibits!
Our Beaujolais’ aromatic palette is a broad one, ranging from raspberry liqueur, ripe Burlat cherries in syrup, smooth crème de cassis and wild blueberry to floral notes of violet, iris and peony, liquorice and dark chocolate. Mouth-filling despite high levels of acidity in some cases. The wines are supple, round and smooth, well-structured with supple, silky tannins. An elegant vintage in the making.’
