The Story:

Domaine des Nugues is one of the great unsung heroes of Beaujolais. The domaine was founded in 1976; today the father son team of Gerard and Gilles Gelin are producing very serious wines from 28 hectares of outstanding family-owned vineyards in the northern portion of the Beaujolais AC, including some beautiful vineyards in the Crus of Fleurie and Morgon. Their goal is to produce classic wines from old vines. The average vine age is 45 years: some vines are more than 100 years old. The Gelins are true devotees of Beaujolais, producing a wide range of wines including Beaujolais Blanc, Beaujolais Rose, and even a method champenoise sparkling gamay. Magnificently, they also cultivate 5 hectares of cassis.

The vines are free standing and pruned in the classic goblet style, meaning machine harvesting is not possible. Vinification is done with whole bunches, semi-carbonic maceration in open top vats. Gilles tastes the fermenting wine to determine the length of the maceration before pressing. The amount of maceration time varies for each cuvee ranging from as little as 7 days to as long as 25. Temperatures are controlled until the end of the malolactic fermentation to preserve aromatic delicacy and freshness.

The resulting wines combine juicy freshness, a backbone of stony minerality, and delightfully grippy tannins - particularly in the case of the Fleurie. They are delicious to drink when young, but in the manner of classic Beaujolais Crus they are also capable of considerable age - that is decades, not just years.  The wines can be found on the tables of some of the finest restaurants in France, such as Le Taillevent and Robuchon, but until recently have remained a secret kept for locals only.  Thankfully for us the secret is now out. These wines are sensational value for money.