Appellation: Chiroubles
Chiroubles may occupy the lightweight end of the Cru Beaujolais spectrum, but in a vintage as warm as 2019, that means it offers elusive balance. There’s nothing lightweight about today’s cuvée, which combines bright floral precision with inky, juicy gamay density.
Varietal: Gamay
Gamay produces wines with bursting fruit profiles — explosively floral bouquets and crunchy juicy mouthfeels. Today’s cuvée offers a richer take on the grape, but it’s no less jubilant or gulpable.
Vintage: 2019
The 2019 vintage was hot and dry in France, among the warmest in decades. The result was low yields, very ripe grapes, and intensely concentrated juice. Tasted blind, you might even guess today’s wine was Syrah.
Winemaker: Jean-Marc Monnet
To call Jean-Marc Monnet an “under-the-radar” winemaker would be understatement. He has no website, no road sign, no employees, and no other US importer. But his wines have won him acclaim in France, where the Guide Hachette named him a Winemaker of the Year” in 2017. His style is old-school Beaujolais, but with extra polish: no oak, exuberant fruit, gorgeous mouthfeels, and attractive prices.
Tasting Notes: 2019 Chiroubles
The nose shows intense perfume of violet, graphite, peony, earth, and wild cherries. But the unusually hot year produced an extraordinarily dense wine — the mouthfeel is punchy and vibrant, with bursting tannins and cool refreshing notes of cranberries and woods.
Pairing Suggestions
Monday: Burgers. Wednesday: Netflix. Sunday: Coq-au-Vin
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Monnet Chiroubles 2019
bottle price: $18
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