Beaujolais

The unquestioned reference of Juliénas. Michel Tête's Cuvée Prestige is the region's most celebrated wine — deep, complex, capable of aging 15+ years with authority. A multi-generation family domaine making wines of uncommon seriousness.

Historic estate making powerful, concentrated Juliénas that ages magnificently. The Château bottling showcases the appellation's structural potential with impressive longevity from volcanic soils.

Organic viticulture producing Juliénas of genuine precision. Elisa Guérin (the rising generation) is earning serious critical acclaim for wines that express Juliénas's complex geology with rare clarity.

Old-vine Juliénas from the Beauvarnay lieu-dit — 60-year-old Gamay vines producing concentrated, structured wines. A name beloved by those in the know; produced in small quantities.

High-altitude parcels producing Juliénas with extraordinary freshness and aromatic precision. The altitude moderates ripening, resulting in wines with refined, mineral-edged character.

Named for the old church at its centre, this small domaine makes wines of authentic character from ancient vines in prime Juliénas sites. Classic, terroir-faithful winemaking.

Bertrand's En Rizière cuvée from Juliénas is one of the most talked-about wines of the new Beaujolais generation. Whole-cluster, natural approach, wild yeasts — wines of striking individuality and depth.

The children of the legendary Marcel Lapierre now make their own Juliénas from Côte de Bessay. The Lapierre name commands reverence; this cuvée is already among Beaujolais' most sought-after bottles.

Trained in Burgundy, Heitz brings a rigorous, Côte d'Or-inflected approach to Juliénas. His wines are precise, structured, and age-worthy — a serious new voice in the appellation.

Paul-Henri Thillardon (est. 2008) has almost single-handedly revived the reputation of Chénas. Working from Les Brureaux and multiple parcels, his wines are precise, complex, and remarkably age-worthy. The definitive reference for what Chénas can be.

Dominique Piron's Chénas Quartz cuvée takes its name from the unique quartzite soils of certain parcels. The wine is exceptional — mineral, structured, long — demonstrating that Chénas belongs among the great Beaujolais crus.

The Jadot-owned estate applying rigorous Burgundy methodology to Chénas. The appellation-level bottling demonstrates effortless class; there is also a premier-cru-aspirant quality to the single-parcel expressions.

Member of the extended Beaujolais natural wine dynasty (nephew of Marcel Lapierre), making honest, precise Chénas with minimal intervention. Small-production wines of real character.

A small-production cuvée from the Bois Retour lieu-dit — the most mineral, quartzite-influenced site in Chénas. One of the appellation's rarest and most singular wines.

Organic viticulture; Elisa Guérin is part of the new wave making Chénas with genuine ambition. Precision, freshness, and a real sense of terroir characterise these small-production wines.

Est. 2021. Only 1,500 bottles from 80-year-old vines. Falaize's debut vintage from these ancient Chénas vines was immediately noticed by critics. One of the most exciting micro-domaine debuts in recent Beaujolais history.

The Louis Jadot estate is the benchmark for Moulin-à-Vent's aging potential. The Clos de Rochegrès monopole — aged in Burgundy barrels — is one of the most serious red wines in France: dark, structured, magnificent after a decade.

The Labruyère estate's Le Clos monopole is exceptional — a wine of power and refinement that ages 20+ years. The estate works with leading Burgundy consultant Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier. Multiple single-parcel cuvées make this a destination domaine.

Descendent of the great Burgundy Liger-Belair dynasty brings Côte de Nuits rigour to Moulin-à-Vent. His Pierres Roses project is among the most critically acclaimed in the region. Whole-cluster, natural approach, extraordinary concentration.

Les Burdelines from 100-year-old vines is Paul Janin's masterpiece — an extraordinary wine of depth, complexity, and longevity from ancient Moulin-à-Vent vines. A hidden gem in the most prestigious appellation.

Biodynamic, horse-plowed viticulture producing Moulin-à-Vent of genuine terroir expression. The symbiosis of Demeter-certified farming and whole-cluster fermentation creates wines of purity and distinction.

Quietly making some of Moulin-à-Vent's most serious wines, Rottiers' low-intervention approach and old-vine selection result in wines of real depth and complexity. Under the radar but highly regarded by sommeliers.

Returned to the family estate in 2019 and immediately set a new standard with organic farming and terroir-driven winemaking. Her Moulin-à-Vent bottlings are already earning serious critical attention.

A radical new approach: concrete eggs, early picking to preserve freshness and tension. The wines are unconventional for Moulin-à-Vent — lighter, more floral — but the terroir speaks clearly through the innovative approach.

The cult hero of Fleurie — 5.5 hectares of the oldest vines, natural farming, minimal intervention. Métras makes perhaps the most distinctive wine in all Beaujolais: pure, intense, unforgettable. Allocations are tiny and sought globally by the finest restaurants.

The walled monopole of Clos de la Roilette is Fleurie's most serious cuvée — structured, complex, age-worthy. The trace manganese from the neighbouring Moulin-à-Vent appellation gives the wine an extra dimension of tannin and longevity.

Old vines, zero-sulfur farming, whole-cluster — the Dutraive family makes Fleurie of extraordinary purity and expression. Grand Cour sits in the finest Fleurie parcels; the cuvées are among the most sought-after in natural wine circles worldwide.

The Chignard family's Les Moriers cuvée is the benchmark for the structured side of Fleurie. Bordering Moulin-à-Vent, these vines produce wines with more grip and substance than typical Fleurie, while retaining the appellation's essential perfume.

60-year-old vine selections producing Fleurie of extraordinary purity. Dubois has attracted considerable critical attention for her precise, terroir-transparent approach. Among the most exciting younger voices in the cru.

Son of Yvon, making his own label since 2014. Trained by his father, Jules brings the same old-vine Fleurie philosophy with a distinctly personal touch. Already generating his own cult following among sommeliers who can't access Yvon's allocations.

Natural winemaker working with quartzite parcels within Fleurie — a rarely-discussed geological feature that adds a distinctive mineral quality to her cuvées. One of the most adventurous interpreters of the appellation.

The master of Fleurie also makes Chiroubles of exceptional purity. The same natural, old-vine philosophy applied to the highest Beaujolais terroir produces wines of haunting elegance — perhaps the finest expression of Chiroubles' fragile beauty.

14 hectares of Chiroubles producing wines structured enough for real aging — rare in this otherwise immediately approachable cru. The old-vine selections develop genuine complexity over 7–10 years, challenging assumptions about Chiroubles' aging potential.

The estate named for the large granite boulder (grosse pierre) in the vineyards produces Chiroubles of genuine typicity — pure, floral, silky, and immediately joyful. A reliable reference for the cru's essential character.

A poetic name for a poetic wine — Collonge's "Dawn of the Slopes" captures the fragile beauty of Chiroubles in a bottle. Small production, minimal intervention, genuine terroir expression.

A classic, traditional domaine producing textbook Chiroubles — the kind of authentic, honest wine that has been made in this village for generations. A benchmark for the traditional style.

The Bijou vineyard at 450m is Jules' signature Chiroubles cuvée — extraordinarily high altitude, thin granite soils, and old vines create a wine of near-weightless purity and perfume. One of Beaujolais' most exciting new single-vineyard wines.

Working across Chiroubles and Régnié, Sunier brings Burgundy-trained precision and a natural-wine ethos. His Chiroubles bottlings show unusual structure and depth for the cru — a genuinely exciting new voice.

Gang of Four member and the most influential producer in modern Beaujolais. His Côte du Py, Corcelette, and Cuvée 3.14 have become international reference points. Zero sulfur, whole cluster, wild yeast — the natural wine template. His wines are essential drinking for any serious wine lover.

Founded by the legendary Marcel Lapierre, now run by children Mathieu and Camille. The 15-hectare organic estate remains the region's spiritual centre — the wine that every natural Beaujolais is implicitly measured against. Morgon of otherworldly depth from old vines.

8th generation family domaine; the Javernières parcel is Desvignes' masterpiece — a wine of extraordinary depth from iron-rich red clay that ages as well as anything in the appellation. Multiple lieux-dits bottled separately; a Burgundian approach to Morgon's diversity.

Vines planted in 1926 at De Lys — the oldest continuous Morgon vineyard in production. Pre-Chauvet winemaking style, naturally. Bouland's old-vine Morgon is one of the most compelling and underpriced wines in France. The wax-capped bottles are instantly recognisable.

Working the Côte du Py alongside Foillard and Lapierre, Burgaud makes deeply serious Morgon that has earned a Wine Spectator "wine of the year" recognition. Low profile for the quality level; still undervalued in the international market.

15.5 hectares, entirely natural, wax-capped bottles. Descombes' Morgon Vieilles Vignes is a profound wine of real complexity. One of the last true artisans of the Gang of Four generation, working with essentially no intervention in the cellar.

Korean-born, French-trained, Godard works Côte du Py, Grand Cras, and Corcelette with minimal intervention and a jeweller's precision. Her wines have generated extraordinary international buzz — among the most talked-about new voices in all of Beaujolais.

Stepson of Georges Descombes, Coquelet trained in the natural wine tradition and is now making his own wines from Morgon. The wines carry the family's spiritual DNA while showing Coquelet's individual voice — a seamless continuation of the lineage.

Gang of Four member making Régnié's most celebrated wine: P'tit Max — pure, crunchy, vivid raspberry Gamay that has become one of natural wine's most beloved bottles worldwide. Biodynamic farming, zero sulfur, whole cluster. Essential.

"Perhaps the deepest Régnié" — Descombes' old-vine bottling shows that this youngest cru, in the right hands, can produce wines of extraordinary depth and complexity. A profound contrast to the appellation's typically lighter character.

Burgundy-trained (Domaine Roumier barrels), Sunier brings extraordinary rigour to Régnié. The use of Roumier barrels — from one of Burgundy's greatest estates — speaks to Sunier's ambition. Among the most precise and complex Régnié being made.

Biodynamic, horse-ploughed viticulture producing Régnié of uncommon depth and terroir expression. The biodynamic approach and horse cultivation maintain soil health and vine balance, resulting in wines of real purity.

Next generation, working with exacting standards. Thévenet's wines show the careful attention to detail of a producer who wants to prove that Régnié is a serious cru — and succeeding convincingly.

Est. 2014, working the schist-influenced Montmerond lieu-dit near the Morgon border. Sunier's wines show real structure and depth unusual for the cru. A rising name across both Régnié and Chiroubles.

The Croix Penet parcel's south-facing granite with feldspar crystals produces some of the most generous and complete Régnié. A small-production project of growing critical reputation.

The supreme reference of Brouilly, discovered by Richard Olney and imported to America by the legendary Kermit Lynch in 1979. Multiple single-parcel cuvées including Les Sept Vignes (across both Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly) demonstrate the extraordinary range possible from this historic estate.

3.5 hectares of Brouilly producing natural wine of extraordinary complexity. The same zero-intervention approach as the celebrated Morgon bottlings, applied to Brouilly's more approachable granite terroir. One of the finest Brouilly being made.

Brouilly Pierreux from 60-year-old vines — one of the appellation's most expressive cuvées. The Chermette family applies Burgundian rigour to Brouilly with consistently outstanding results. The Pierreux ("stony") cuvée shows exceptional depth.

Est. 2014, zero-sulfur winemaking and a striking biker aesthetic that belies the seriousness of the wines. Cotton's Brouilly captures the volcanic character of the appellation with real precision — wines of character and genuine individuality.

Burgundian method applied to Beaujolais: destemming, long maceration, barrel aging. The result is Brouilly of unusual structure and depth. Brun was among the first to challenge Beaujolais Nouveau orthodoxy; his wines have aged the argument gracefully.

Jean Foillard's son, first vintage 2016. Inheriting his father's philosophy but bringing a "wilder side" to Beaujolais — lower-intervention, exploratory winemaking that pushes boundaries. One of the most watched new names in the region.

Radical winemaking: baie par baie (berry by berry) manual selection, extreme care in the vineyard. La Folie sells at $50+ — extraordinary for Brouilly — and earns every centime. One of Beaujolais' most expensive and most controversial new projects.

The supreme reference for Côte de Brouilly — Les Sept Vignes works across multiple parcels of the volcanic dome and the Brouilly appellation to produce a wine of extraordinary complexity. The estate has been integral to the appellation's identity for generations.

The Riffault family estate makes Côte de Brouilly of impressive concentration and age-worthiness. The steep volcanic terroir produces wines with real mineral backbone — structured, complex, evolving beautifully over a decade.

Named for Bouland's daughter, Cuvée Mélanie from the south slope of Mont Brouilly is one of the appellation's most expressive wines — volcanic character, deep fruit, mineral tension. From the same genius who makes the 1926-vine Morgon De Lys.

No-sulfur viticulture applied to Côte de Brouilly's volcanic terroir — Cotton's wines capture the diorite's mineral intensity with extraordinary purity. The volcanic character is more vivid and focused than in most CdB bottlings.

The 100-year-old vines on the unique limestone/clay north-slope anomaly produce Côte de Brouilly of extraordinary individuality. Old family plot with geological character unlike any other site on the mountain — a true rarity.

Jean Foillard's son is extending his father's Morgon-focused domaine into Côte de Brouilly, applying natural methods to the volcanic terroir. The wines show the Foillard family's characteristic precision — and the volcanic diorite amplifies the intensity.