A wild, savoury, spicy orange wine that makes us re-think everything we know about Beaujolais Blanc, full of savoury nutty notes of wheat, barley & spice Find out more.
About the wine
Gamay from Romauld’s Chénas vineyards, located in the very south of the appellation on steep slopes at considerable altitude, sitting close to very northern reaches of Fleurie. As a point of reference, this parcel is just beyond the forest from Julie Balagny's ‘En Remont’ vines.
Coming from a steep slope of granite with a touch of quartz, the vines here are old and low yielding. The resulting wine is wonderfully compact and is characterised by structure, minerality and elegant depth. The aromatics here make us think of Fleurie, perfumed with fruit, flowers and minerals which jump from the glass. Whilst on the palate, deep ruby-berries sit alongside a distinct mineral imprint, the granite soils giving the wine no shortage of structure, acidity and focus. Beautiful stuff.
About Romuald Valot
Originally from Burgundy, Romuald Valot has spent the past decade forging a new path in the remote hills of the Beaujolais.
Born into a family of vignerons, he spent decades working for classic producers in Burgundy and was left disenchanted by the amount of chemicals used in the vineyards and the tricks being played in the cellar. In 2013 he bought a small cottage, cuverie and three hectares of vines in the hills above Beaujeu, way out in Beaujolais’ west.
The vines are planted over granite and are up to a hundred years old. At five hundred metres above sea level, they are amongst the highest in the region but most importantly, they are completely isolated, allowing Romuald to be alone with nature. He has since acquired a further eight hectares of vines elsewhere in the region, and also farms a hectare in the Côte de Beaune’s Ladoix, from which he produces a sublime Pinot Noir.
Romuald practises his own extreme take on organic agriculture. Refusing to spray even copper and sulphur on the vines, he experiments without ploughing or pruning in some parcels. In the event he does treat the vines, he does so with his own infusions of wild plants, which he gathers and mixes with spring water, whey and clay.
Romuald’s winemaking is comparatively simple. He picks early in the morning, fills each cuve with whole bunches and fastens the cap. After around a fortnight of infusion the grapes are pressed slowly over several hours and the wine is moved to old barrels or qvevris for a year of élevage.
Whilst his approach to farming might be radical, his vibrant, nuanced wines are a real exercise in purity and within the context of Beaujolais, are thrillingly unique.
More from Romuald Valot
£25
