Jean-Louis Dutraive - Grand Cour

Beaujolais, France

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It’s never too late for a renaissance. Nearing 60, the extremely humble and hard-working vigneron, Jean-Louis Dutraive unintentionally became one of Beaujolais’ iconoclastic vignerons. Between 2010-2016 (perhaps some years prior to those as well), Jean-Louis found his own uniquely elegant style that inspired an entire generation of local growers and extended well beyond Beaujolais and France into the global wine scene. Perhaps one of Beaujolais’ most elegant appellations, Fleurie is dominated by granite soils with a broad variation of altitudes and expositions. Jean-Louis’ Fleurie vines are on softer slopes at lower altitudes with deeper sandy soils than those at higher altitudes, which make for more elegant and aromatic wines. Jean-Louis’ Brouilly is a unique wine grown on limestone, which imparts more power, color and weight when compared to his range of Fleurie wines. All vineyards are farmed naturally with EU organic certification and most of the wines are bottled with little to no added sulfites. Jean-Louis’ offspring (Ophélie, Justin and Lucas) began to take greater stylistic control of the domaine in 2017, led by his daughter, Ophélie.

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Jean-Louis Dutraive - Grand Cour - 2023 Fleurie, Vielles Vignes, Lieu-dit Champagne

Price: $60.00
Size: 750ml
Availability: 

24+ in stock

Type of Wine: Red
Grape(s): 100% Gamay
Style: Mineral, Elegant and Aromatic
SKU: DVFCVV23 Category: Tags: , , , Click to see what states we ship to
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GROWER OVERVIEW

It’s never too late for a renaissance. Nearing 60, the extremely humble and hard-working vigneron, Jean-Louis Dutraive unintentionally became one of Beaujolais’ iconoclastic vignerons. Between 2010-2016 (perhaps some years prior to those as well), Jean-Louis found his own uniquely elegant style that inspired an entire generation of local growers and extended well beyond Beaujolais and France into the global wine scene. Perhaps one of Beaujolais’ most elegant appellations, Fleurie is dominated by granite soils with a broad variation of altitudes and expositions. Jean-Louis’ Fleurie vines are on softer slopes at lower altitudes with deeper sandy soils than those at higher altitudes, which make for more elegant and aromatic wines. Jean-Louis’ Brouilly is a unique wine grown on limestone, which imparts more power, color and weight when compared to his range of Fleurie wines. All vineyards are farmed naturally with EU organic certification and most of the wines are bottled with little to no added sulfites. Jean-Louis’ offspring (Ophélie, Justin and Lucas) began to take greater stylistic control of the domaine in 2017, led by his daughter, Ophélie.

VINEYARD DETAILS

Located in the relatively large “Champagne” lieu-dit, just east and downhill across the Rue de la Grappe Fleurie from the family’s Clos de la Grand’Cour vineyard and cellar, this is the Dutraive family’s smallest family-owned parcel at 1.5 hectares. Their plot was planted between 1950 and 1980 at 300 meters on a gentle, east-southeast-facing slope on shallow topsoil (10-30cm deep) consisting of granite sand, derived from its pink granite bedrock.

CELLAR NOTES

100% whole cluster, semi-carbonic, natural fermentation and maceration in concrete for 2-3 weeks and the wine aged in old 225-500 L old French oak with ~20% new oak for 7 months. 10ppm (10mg/L) total added sulfites only at bottling, no fining nor filtration.

About The Wine

Inside the bottle: It is hard not to be completely charmed by this wine. The range of sweet, soft red berries and red flowers that decorate this pretty wine immerge immediately upon opening. If you can make it past the first 20 minutes without slugging this one down, more complexities immerge a piece at a time, transitioning the wine in the palate from a sappy, smooth texture to one of hot iron, iodine and graphite. The vineyard’s acidic soils seemingly convert this high-toned, sweet wine into something ultimately salty and savory. It is one of the smallest cuvées and also usually the most sought-after. The only problem with it is that it could be the fastest 750 milliliters of wine you’ve ever drunk.

All of Jean-Louis’ wines are made with whole clusters, zero extraction and natural fermentations. They are made from a combination of nearly perfect farming and zen-like observation. The elevage of this wine is 100% in futs de chene (barrel).

Terroir: Outside of the “Clos de la Grand Coeur” and further down the hill about 300 meters you will find Jean-Louis’ “Champagne” vineyard. This pink granite soil is very shallow and gently sloped. The granite “roche mare” is only about 20-30 centimeters below. It is considered to be one of the finest terroirs in all of Fleurie.

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