Fabulous Fleurie: Alain Coudert's 2020 "Clos de la Roilette" and "Cuvee Tardive;" 2020 "Clos de la Grand Cour" and "Le Clos Vieilles Vignes" from Jean-Louis Dutraive!
10/19/21 -
Alain Coudert's "Clos de la Roilette" Fleurie and Fleurie "Cuvée Tardive" have been great favorites of ours since the late 1980's when we purchased from Alain's jovial father Fernand. 2020 was a somewhat difficult vintage with dry, hot conditions and a very early harvest, but fortunately some rain late in the season helped the grapes mature normally even if yields were very low. There is much less wine available than usual, so lovers of these classic Fleuries should not delay....
Since taking over the estate from his father in 1991, Alain Coudert has become one of the most consistent and respected producers in Beaujolais. Alain was a reluctant vigneron, returning to aid the family after his brother had a serious accident in 1979. During our early visits to the estate, the modest Alain would defer to his father who would hold court at the long bar as old bottles were brought up from the cellar. Located near the border with Moulin-a-Vent and having a large percentage of clay with manganese in the soil, the wines here are quite structured for a Fleurie and even poor vintages will show well with ten years of age. "Vinification is the traditional, semi-carbonic Beaujolais style," says Alain. "We do a submerged cap, we do temperature control and we use native yeasts. The idea is obviously to best express our terroir...the result is a more structured wine, somewhere between a "typical" Fleurie and a Moulin-a-Vent. Cuvée Tardive is made from 80 year-old vines and can seriously age - in a way it's to prove that Gamay is a grape that can achieve more than youthful drinkability." The estate makes superb wines in vintages like 2020, with firm earthy acidity and good brightness balancing the ripe fruit. Both wines are highly recommended. The "Clos de la Roilette" for current drinking and 7 to 10 years of cellaring, and the "Tardive" for great enjoyment over the next ten to fifteen years. Thank you Alain Coudert!
Established in 1969, Jean-Louis Dutraive's Domaine de la Grand’Cour in Fleurie consists of three lieux-dits: Clos de la Grand’Cour, Chapelle des Bois, and Champagne, which make up a total of 9 hectares. Additionally, the domaine has 1.6 hectares in the cru of Brouilly from where the Dutraive family originally hails. The average age of the vines are around 40-50 years, with a good chunk over 80 years of age. Jean-Louis is a devout practitioner of organic viticulture with the property certified by ECOCERT since 2009. Harvest is done by hand and grapes are immediately placed in tank at low temperatures to begin carbonic maceration. 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. Minimal SO2 is used. Dutraive's Fleuries are now among the most sought-after wines of Beaujolais.
The 2020 "Clos de la Grand Cour" is from 30 to 70 year-old vines grown on shallow soils over granite in the estates 8 hectare walled vineyard. Fruitier than its old vine counterpart, this flagship Fleurie defines Dutriave terroir and style. Aromas of dark cherry, violets and exotic spices on the nose. Rustic and complex on the palate, Dutraive compares the Grand'Cour to a baby Beaune Rouge in its muscle and breadth. About 2,500 cases are made, 24 bottles are available.
The 2020 "Le Clos Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" is made from 80+ year-old vines in approximately 1.5 hectares of the walled clos, with yields typically only 15 to 20 hl/ha. The wine ferments in cement vats and ages in old barriqes. This is one of the most profound wines of the appellation, 12 bottles are available.
