2021 Rémi Dufaitre 'Super Remi'
Price: $51.00
Country/Region: Beaujolais, France
Varietal(s): Gamay
Tasting Notes: Succulent and light, fresh red berries, chillable red
Fun Facts: Rémi is a member of the informal group that has evolved from Kermit Lynch’s “gang of four,” the producers in Morgon who studied with natural-wine-pioneer Jules Chauvet (winemaker and biologist), making natural wine (Foillard among them). This group has grown to include younger winemakers like Rémi, who are working in the same spirit. If you find yourself in Villié-Morgon on a Sunday morning or afternoon, take care because this group is likely to envelop you and make you drink Beaujolais all day until the wee hours of the morning! Rémi makes wines in a classic carbonic style, using whole bunches, which are carefully sorted to avoid broken grapes or rot. He adds some carbon dioxide gas to protect the grapes at the beginning of fermentation and does not use any temperature control. He avoids foot stomping the grapes unless he sees some volatility starting to creep in. His goal is to have as little juice in the tank as possible. Remi’s wines currently have a very avid following in the bustling Paris natural wine scene as a result of his commitment to honest winemaking.
2021 Thibault Ducroux Beaujolais “En Roue Libre”
Price: $50.00
Country/Region: Beaujolais, France
Varietal(s): Gamay
Tasting Notes: light-headed, fruity and crunchy Bojo. Serve well chilled with some good charcuterie or goat cheese to nibble on.
Fun Facts: Thibault Ducroux is one of those winemakers who has been enticed by the vine from practically a toddler’s age: the son of a Beaujolais grower, he recalls how quickly he became passionate while learning the basics of the trade in his father’s cellar. His desire to understand more about vine-growing led him to study a classical viticulture-enology course in the region, but the real game-changer came when he discovered the works of Jules Chauvet, the ingenious 20th-century research chemist, winemaker and négociant venerated as the father of the French natural wine movement.
At the same time, Thibault also purchased 1.25 hectares of vines in the Beaujolais AOC that gave birth to his very first wine in 2019. This light-headed, fruity and crunchy Gamay is called En Roue Libre (“Freewheeling”) – a smart choice of name that honors both hands-off natural winemaking methods and Thibault’s love for cycling. (He even used to race in a club before dedicating himself to full-time winemaking, and the bike still remains a big weekend pleasure.)
In 2020, Thibault secured a long-term rental of 5 more hectares of old Gamay vines in the Morgon and Fleurie crus. All the vineyards are cultivated according to organic principles and are awaiting certification. Together with the high density of plantation (10,000 plants per hectare) and the impressive age of the vines (50 years on average), this allows Thibault to make wines that offer beautiful structure and terroir focus. In the cellar, the traditional Beaujolais practice of whole-bunch carbonic maceration is de rigueur, using indigenous yeast only. No further manipulations or additives, save for a tiny bit of sulfur at bottling, are used, just as Thibaut learned from all his colleagues.