In the Beaujolais we have two producers, both relatively recent additions to the portfolio. Though the Beaujolais is technically part of Burgundy, the red wine grape is Gamay rather than Pinot Noir. We focus on the Cru Beaujolais, the ten towns whose wines are more distinctive, more refined, and longer-lived than Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages. Jean-Marc Monnet’s Domaine des Chataigniers is a small domaine, but the quality is excellent and has the aging potential characteristic of serious Beaujolais.
The town of Julienas produces one of the longest-lived Beaujolais crus. Monnet has two cuvees, a regular Julienas and an Old Vine Julienas with even more aging potential. Monnet also produces a Chiroubles, which is at the opposite end if the density spectrum from the Julienas: lighter and more elegant, resembling a lesser Beaujolais in weight but offering much more of interest in the nose and on the palate.
