Do You Know Brouilly’s Julien Duport?

Julien’s beautiful wines continue to reorient many a palate on the real complexity and nuance of the finest Gamay from the best terroir. If you are not a Gamay “fan” or are yet to be convinced, these are mind-changers. The plush and engaging new wines are exemplary.

2018 Brouilly “La Folie”
La Folie — meaning, madness! Named so because of the steep slope of Julien’s pure decomposed granite gravel vineyard in Brouilly. The soil beneath the 40-year old vines absorbs a lot of heat in the crystalline structure of the granite, so even after the sun goes down the vineyard holds heat and ripens slowly and gently. It’s a testament to terroir to taste this alongside the two Côte du Brouilly wines. A semi-carbonic wine, La Folie features phenolic aromatics like cherries and almonds against the spice and sternness of Côte du Brouilly. Additionally, La Folie is fermented in cement and aged in old barrels. Our kind of bottled madness. ~450 cases.

2018 Côte de Brouilly “Lieu-Dit Brouilly”
The high slopes on Mount Brouilly make up the Côte du Brouilly appellation and are nearly surrounded by the larger rolling hills of the Brouilly appellation. This Côte du Brouilly comes from a plot of gamay planted 60 years ago, known itself simply as “Brouilly” — hence the confusing name (it's from the slopes of the Mountain called Brouilly but not the appellation Brouilly). The Côte du Brouilly distinguishes itself with a dose of blue schist in the pink granite soils, which lend explosive pine-y aromatics to this lovely, dark Beaujolais. Schist is made up of compressed sheets of clay (formed by the plate movements when the mountain was formed). Perhaps because of its Campari-esque savory aromatics, or the high acid and bright crunch, this wine is the most sippable of the three (and the one to try first if you’re looking to be charmed). Fans of Northern Rhone wines as well as Beaujolais devotees should check this one out. Produced via semi-carbonic maceration of whole cluster fermentation with indigenous yeasts, which took 17 days. Its elevage in cement and neutral oak for a year gives a structured, poised wine - but a surprising one too. ~650 cases.

2017 Côte de Brouilly “La Boucheratte”
Julien’s vin de garde, from 100+ year old vines: serious and complex. Julien likens the tones this wine takes on with age to a Chambolle-Musigny. Capable of aging for many years. Named for a vineyard planted by his grandfather 100 years ago that was tended by horse up until 1985. And then, since Julien took over in 2003. Of his wines, this is the most serious and complex. The yields for this site are extremely low. The wine is aged 18 months in large barrique after fermentation in cement. Julien likens the tones this wine takes on with age to a Chambolle-Musigny (we agree - try it on day two or three and see if it fools you), but the wine has the body of a Northern Rhone syrah. La Boucherette is like the spread laid for a feast at a castle, plump with aroma of olives and grilled meatst. Capable of ageing for many (Julien thinks 5-10) years. Very, limited.

2016 Côte de Brouilly “Empreintes”
As the distinguished Burgundy wine critic Jasper Morris wrote about this wine in his four star 90 point review “Rich red purple, a little wood showing on the nose, and indeed follows through on the palate but does not dominate. The fruit finishes with a nicely fresh acidity.” Emprientes is from a tiny section in the appellation of Côte de Brouilly where the soil is thin - near sandy atop granite which combined with Julien’s vines now well over sixty years old, this makes for a deep-colored strutted wine that will age well for many years, though it is graceful and supple and is easily adored and enjoyed now.

2018 Beaujolais Blanc “Botheland”
Blanc in Beaujolais means Chardonnay - and Chardonnay in Burgundy has quite a reputation. That said only about 5% of Beaujolais is planted to Chardonnay - Gamay rules the day there, but a few Chardonnay in the region are well worth the effort - like Julian’s Botheland bottling. Maybe you got a bottle or two last time from the two case we were able to get? Juicy and toward rich in body and depth, Botheland is a special wine worthy of grabbling a few bottles to discover.