Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Cuvee Tardive 2024 3.0L

In preparing for this tasting note I went back and did a deep dive on why this cuvee is so very special. While the whole of the 10-hectare Clos de la Roilette is one of the seven single sites nominated for premier cru status (if Beaujolais gets Premier Crus) this is specifically from the clay-manganese soil two hectares set aside from this cuvee where the vines are 60+ years old. The nose opens with pencil shavings, dark sour cherry and boysenberries, anise, black flowers, and a light hit of earth. On the palate this has some tannins on its light frame with a sense of umami, sour cherries, leather, black fruits and a touch of crushed rocks. This is serious Beaujolais for sure. - D&M TASTING NOTES (MK, 02/2026)

IMPORTER NOTES:

PRODUCTION: "100% Gamay. From the oldest estate vines, which are 80 years old and up, on heavy clay soils with relatively little granite and quite a lot of the iron-like mineral manganese. "Tardive" does not mean that the harvest is late but rather is a reference to the wine's ability and need to age for years. The farming is sustainable. All vineyard work is by hand, with the soils worked only superficially, at most twice per year, to protect the roots of these old vines. Vinification is traditional, semi-carbonic Beaujolais style. The whole clusters are harvested by hand and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in open-top concrete tank. Maceration lasts around 18 days for Tardive, with a submerged cap rather than punchdowns. The wine is aged in large oak foudres of 80 to 100 years old for 9 months before bottling. Sulfur use is quite minimal."

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: "The Clos de la Roilette, a lieu-dit in the village of Fleurie, covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. The clos has an eastern exposure, borders the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, and produces wines that are beautiful when young and have the capacity to age 5-10 years, depending on the vintage. In the 1920’s, when the Fleurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-à-Vent appellation under which the clos had previously been classified. He created a label, using a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette without mentioning Fleurie. The owner vowed not to sell a drop of his wine on the French market and the production went to Switzerland, Germany and England. By the mid-1960s, the owner’s heirs had lost interest in the clos and a large portion of the land had gone wild and untended. In 1967, Fernand Coudert bought this poorly maintained estate and replanted the vineyards. His son Alain joined him in 1984, and has been the winemaker since. He has recently been joined by his son Alexis."