Fleurie '1889' Domaine de la Madone 2019

Domaine de la Madone Fleurie 1889 is sourced from a single plot of vines planted in 1889. The wine undergoes a long maceration of 24 days before being aged in barrel for two years. It is both a slice of history and a joyously sensual drinking experience. Rich concentrated yet floral and full of finesse. The palate is full of dark cherry, kirsch and dark strawberry. The structure of the wine is near perfect and it displays a wonderful balance of perfumed notes, super fine tannins and fresh granite notes.

Domaine de la Madone, located in the Beaujolais Cru of Fleurie, is owned and run by Arnaud Despres. Arnaud is the 6th generation of his family to farm these famous hillside vineyards that take their name from the chapel which sits on top of the hill above the village of Fleurie. Arnaud’s 17 hectares, which sit on pink granite, enjoy some of the best growing conditions in the area and are blessed with exceptional amounts of sunlight - perfect for cultivating the Gamay grape. Arnaud now also makes a white wine from Viognier and there was talk of planting some Marsanne in the not-too-distant future. It should also be noted that the winery has a restaurant attached to it which is fantastic.

Picking is done manually, and the wines are fermented in whole bunches in concrete tanks to retain the freshness and terroir of the individual plots. The winery is built into the hillside so the wine can be moved from picking baskets to tanks and then to barrels via gravity. Some of the top cuvees are aged in oak barrels and there is some experimenting with concrete eggs. Filtration is very light and a small amount of sulphur is used.