Domaine les Garcons Beaujolais Villages 2022 750ml

• Practicing biodynamic (certified in 2023)
• 100% Gamay
• From a 2.75 ha parcel in the lieu-dit “Garanche” in the village of Charentay, on the eastern edge of Brouilly
• East facing
• Clay and limestone terroir, with some sand
• 45+ year old vines, including a 1 ha parcel planted in 1919
• Indigenous yeast
• 100% whole cluster, carbonic maceration
• Aged in stainless steel

Beaujolais is, in many ways, France's most dynamically evolving wine region. With land being exponentially less expensive than regions like Burgundy or Champagne, a new generation of talented young growers has injected this historic region with a qualitative burst of energy. With the masters' inspiration, these new growers have turned Beaujolais into a hotbed of organic/biodynamic/regenerative farming and thoughtfully measured winemaking.

Loïc Crispin and Fabien Pinguet of DOMAINE LES GARCONS are two friends who have taken over a portion of Loïc's family's vineyards in the village of Charentay within the Brouilly appellation, and established their domaine in 2020. Before their first vintage, they converted all their parcels to biodynamic farming, gaining Demeter certification in 2021. The duo actively engages with agroforestry, planting trees and hedges in the vineyards to improve biodiversity, provide shade to the vines, and lower yields. They are also implementing more cover crops to help recolonize the fauna and flora in the soil and reduce the tilling required.

The vines at the domaine average around 45 years old, including a 1ha parcel planted in 1919 that goes into their spectacular Beaujolais-Villages. The vineyards in this section of Beaujolais sit on a complex terroir of clay, limestone, sand, and lots of marine fossil debris. It is a very cool micro-climate, with the east and northeast-facing sites adding to the already crunchy nature of the wines. Only indigenous yeasts are used for fermentation, and whole clusters with carbonic/semi-carbonic macerations are employed. They aim to make bright, perfumed mineral bombs with modest alcohol levels. In just a few years, the pair are already making gorgeously high-toned, crispy, succulent Beaujolais that can compete with the best of the region.