Beaujolais Wine

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

James Suckling 92 Points | Delicious and well-structured for an entry-level Beaujolais, this has stacks of blackberry and forest-berry aromas, restrained ripeness and such a lively acidity that it dances over your palate. Yet, it also has so much character, with a hint of autumn bonfire smoke. Spot-on balance at the precise and elegant finish. Drink or hold.

Winemaker Description

From the ever-creative and driven Julien Sunier comes this "anytime red", as he fondly refers to it. Wild Soul, like most of Sunier's fruit, is farmed and harvested at high altitude (400m), resulting in freshness, aromatic vibrancy, a lythe presence on the palate, and endless pleasure. 

Winemaker Description

All our vines are located on the Morgon terroir. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous wines of Beaujolais! Typically, Morgon has four dominant aromas: cherry, violet, raspberry and a very slight touch of liquorice… Combining lightness and richness, our Morgon has an aging potential of around ten years on average. It should be noted that the Morgon appellation dates from 1936, only 12 years after the creation of the first AOCs, in Arbois and Châteauneuf. Winemaker Description.

Memo Summary Notes

The 2024 Domaine de la Grand’Cour (Jean-Louis Dutraive) Brouilly "Vieilles Vignes" is a highly sought-after, low-intervention Cru Beaujolais. While the 2024 vintage is just beginning to reach the market (following the 2023 release), it continues the Dutraive family tradition of producing wines that are "natural" in spirit but precise and elegant in profile.

This specific cuvée is an outlier for Jean-Louis Dutraive, whose estate is primarily based in Fleurie. The fruit comes from a 1.6-hectare parcel of vines (some over 100 years old) in Charentay. Unlike the granite-heavy soils of Fleurie, this Brouilly site features limestone and clay, which lends the wine a more muscular, savory, and mineral-driven character.

Importer Notes

On more than one occasion, Jean-Louis Dutraive has been fondly referred by his peers as "the heart of Beaujolais". The Dutraive family home and the Domaine de la Grand'Cour are one in the same, and there is a constant flow of visiting vignerons from every generation for lunches, dinners, casse-croûte ("breaking of bread"), walks in the vines, and tastings in the cellar. Jean-Louis' door is always open, as are his bottles. He makes himself regularly available to young people in the region who are interested in farming naturally, and he is among the first to lend a hand, a tractor, or words of advice to colleagues. Of course, his influence is most felt by his three children with whom he collaborates on the Famille Dutraive label. Daughter Ophélie assumed the helm of Domaine de la Grand'Cour in recent years. While Jean-Louis's presence is always felt, even when he is away enjoying his retirement home in the Jura, Ophélie has a deep connection to her vines and a deft hand in the cellar.

Domaine de la Grand Cour dates back to 1969 when it was purchased by Jean Dutraive, making it one of the oldest in the village of Fleurie. Jean Dutraive was joined by his son and fifth generation vigneron Jean-Louis in 1977. By 1989, the reins were fully in Jean-Louis’s capable hands. The foundation of the property are the lieux-dits of Clos de la Grand Cour, Chapelle des Bois and Champagne which make up a total of 9 hectares of vines in Fleurie, surrounding the house and cellars. Additionally, the family has 1.6 hectares in the cru of Brouilly where the Dutraive family originates. The average age of the vines are around 40-50 years, with a good chunk over 70 years of age.

The family are regarded as trailblazers in natural viticulture, and they continue to serve as a shining example of farmers who work in tandem with nature. Harvest is done by hand and grapes are immediately placed in tank at low temperatures to begin carbonic maceration (without sulfur). The wines ferment naturally with indigenous yeast and are macerated on the skins for anywhere from 15-30 days depending on the vintage and the particular wine. The wines are then gravity fed to the cellar for a period of ageing of 6-15 months, depending on the cuvée. Elevage occurs mostly in used burgundy barrels, though the Fleurie Grand'Cour, Fleurie Chapelle des Bois and Brouilly are sometimes aged at least partially in old foudres or cement tanks depending on the vintage. S02 is rarely added during the élévage, only when necessary, though a small amount is added when the wines are racked and assembled for bottling. And in general, no fining and filtration is used unless absolutely required. In the words of Jean-Louis, he practices "low intervention, high surveillance" winemaking. 

The Dutraive lineup includes some of the most aromatically and texturally unique wines in all of Beaujolais. One whiff and the wines give an almost exotic floral and spicy aroma, followed by lush minerally Gamay fruit, sort of like a top Morey St. Denis 1er or Grand Cru nose combined with earthy, Volnay-like fruit. There is also a textural lushness and exuberance backed up by ample structure and acid. These are substantial Beaujolais, and ones that could certainly stand up to food. They also have the requisite material to develop and evolve over the medium term, i.e. 10-12 years of aging - easily! Jean-Louis and his Domaine de la Grand'Cour wines have more than earned their place in the top ranks of today's Beaujolais domaines. 

Memo Summary Notes

• Complex bouquet of dark red and blue fruits (black cherry, black raspberry), floral notes (violets, potpourri), and earthy/mineral undertones.

• Palate: Full-bodied for a Beaujolais, with a seamless texture and a fleshy, concentrated core of fruit. Expect good acidity, subtle spice, and a tactile, mineral-driven finish. It has the structure to age for several years.

From over 50-year-old southwest-facing vines on sandy, granitic soils, La Croix des Rameaux is a rich and elegant Gamay made with close attention paid to managing extraction, so the wine maintains lift and energy.

Pair with

• Roast chicken or turkey (especially with herbs).

• Rich Dishes: Beef bourguignon, a savory mushroom risotto, or a hearty stew.

• Meats: Cured meats, lamb tongue, or any roast white meat.

• Casual: Gourmet pizza or dishes with red sauce.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2023

Stuart Pigott JamesSuckling.com writes 93 Points | Very cool, delicate and restrained, this Fleurie is barely medium-bodied but has quite a firm tannic core and plenty of wet-stone minerality. The red berry fruit is still a bit closed, so you need some patience. Very good structure in the long finish. From organically grown grapes. From approximately 40-year-old vines. Matured in large neutral oak foudre barrels and smaller barrels that are at least five years old. Drink from 2027. 

Kenna Wells of The Wine Advocate 91+ Points  | The 2023 Fleurie Clos de la Grand'Cour, sourced from "young" vines up to 50 years old, bursts with juicy red fruits—strawberries and cherries—layered with orange peel, hibiscus and a touch of brown spice. On the palate, enveloping tannins provide structure and guide a long, steady progression. A delicate thread of graphite-like salinity emerges on the mid-palate, harmonizing with the wine's fleshy fruit. Yet it is the vibrant, expressive flavors that take center stage, culminating in a bold, fruit-driven finish. With its refined architecture and impressive depth, this wine promises great aging potential. Drink: 2026-2035. 

Neal Martin of Vinous 91 Points  | The 2023 Fleurie Clos de la Grand Cour comes from vines that encircle the estate that are mostly 40-50-years-old. It has a fresh, marine-tinged bouquet with just a hint of oyster shell in the background. The palate is medium-bodied and very harmonious, with gentle grip, lithe tannins, and touches of orange pith and marmalade toward the finish. Give this a year in bottle. Drink: 2026-2036. 

Memo Summary Notes

The 2024 Justin Dutraive Beaujolais "Les Bulands" is a vibrant, natural expression of Gamay from one of the region's rising stars. Justin, the son of the legendary Jean-Louis Dutraive (Domaine de la Grand’Cour), follows his father’s "low-to-no-sulfur" philosophy, producing wines that are incredibly "gouleyant"—the French term for dangerously easy to drink.

This is a quintessential "bistro" wine that thrives with a slight chill.

• The Vibe: Perfect for a picnic, a sunny patio, or a casual dinner with friends.

• Food Pairings: Charcuterie boards (terrines and saucisson), roasted chicken, herb-crusted pork tenderloin, or even grilled salmon.

• Note: Because this is a natural wine, you may notice a tiny bit of "petillance" (slight spritz) upon opening. If so, just give the glass a vigorous swirl or decant it for 10 minutes to let it settle.

Winemaker Description

Justin Dutraive has Fleurie in his veins. As the eldest son of the incomparable Jean-Louis Dutriave, he grew up overhearing the conversations (and sipping the bottles) of Jean Foillard, Yvon Métras, Sylvain Chanudet and of course, his father Jean-Louis. The Dutraive family home and the Domaine de la Grand'Cour are one in the same. There is a constant flow of visiting vignerons from every generation for lunches, dinners, casse-croûte ("breaking of bread"), walks in the vines, and tastings in the cellar. Jean-Louis' door is always open, as are his bottles. His influence on the youth of the region was deeply and instantly felt in his son Justin's inaugural release: Beaujolais "Les Bulands".

W/ 'Les Bulands', grapes are picked into small bins and refrigerated before going into the vat in order to ensure the purest semi-carbonic maceration. Justin vinified his wine in a sphere-shaped fiberglass container that you turn on its axis as opposed to using a pump-over method. This is done most frequently in the final days of maceration, encouraging textural richness in the wine. All natural yeast fermentation and little or no sulfur additions. Justin adheres to his father's cellar motto of "minimal intervention and maximum surveillance".