The Beaujolais Project: Chiroubles
Chiroubles is a Cru that is certainly less mentioned, even though the wines are absolutely outstanding. One of the smallest Crus in Beaujolais, Chiroubles borders the prestigious Crus of Morgon and Fleurie. Between the two its terroir is more similar to that of Fleurie. With an average elevation of 410 meters above sea level, Chiroubles is the highest winemaking Cru in Beaujolais, benefiting significantly from the high diurnal temperature variation. The sunlight from the Saône River valley warms the vineyards during the day, and the relatively lower evening temperatures cool them down.
The harvest in Chiroubles often comes a week later than in the northern Beaujolais Crus due to the cooler temperatures, which extends the growing season. This relatively cooler climate contributes to the signature freshness of Chiroubles wines, but it can also make it tricky to achieve full ripeness.
The lighter, yet fresher, style of wines from Chiroubles is often considered the most Beaujolais-like among all the Crus. Especially in the current trend of producing bolder wines and meeting consumers’ demand for more concentrated flavors, the lighter style of Chiroubles wines can truly stand out for their refreshing traits.
The main notable lieux-dits in Chiroubles are Javernand, Bel-Air, Les Pontheux, Chatenay, Les Roches, Tempère, Fontenelle, Rochefort, Grille Midi, and Les Bonnes. If you spot Chiroubles wines from these plots, it might be a good opportunity to add one more bottle to your shopping cart.
As always, I uncorked two bottles of Chiroubles wine. I found that the wines from Chiroubles exhibited perfumed, light-bodied, and fruity characteristics, which I truly enjoyed. These traits were, I believe, very similar to what Kermit Lynch mentioned in his book Adventures on the Wine Route about good Beaujolais wines in the old days. Frankly, the modern trend of creating bigger and heavier Beaujolais wines has been one of the frustrating factors during my Beaujolais journey. If I wanted heavier and fuller-bodied wines, I could look for a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bordeaux, Northern Rhône, or Languedoc-Roussillon.
The contrasting brightness and freshness of the Chiroubles wines immediately captivated me, becoming a ray of hopeful light in my Beaujolais journey—an unexpected source of happiness.
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2019 Domaine Chapel Chiroubles
The husband-wife team at Domaine Chapel created their first wine in 2016. Since then, they have consistently produced high-quality wines that are perfumed and express the unique terroirs of Juliénas, Fleurie, Chiroubles, and Beaujolais-Lantignie. This particular cuvée is sourced from an average of 55-year-old vines planted on pink granite and sandstone soils, enriched with weathered rock from two lieux-dits, Saint-Roch and Poullet. The grapes are organically cultivated and undergo a whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration with indigenous yeasts for three weeks before pressing. The wine is then aged in wood foudres for eight months and bottled unfiltered.
This low-sulfur wine boasted notes of violet, cranberry, blackberry, strawberry, black plum, black cherry, cooked plum, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, rosemary, and a hint of something purplish that I couldn’t quite recall. I was particularly excited to try Domaine Chapel’s wine because his winemaking is inspired by Domaine Marcel Lapierre, where he worked for years.
I paired this wine with a pork Delmonico steak, anticipating that its fruitiness and high acidity would cut through the umami-filled rendered fat and flavorful, dense meat. I particularly enjoy pairing pork with perfumed and light wines because they maintain a refreshing quality alongside richness, resulting in a well-balanced experience. I highly recommend trying pork Delmonico next time you visit your local butcher shop.
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2016 Domaine Lafarge-Vial Chiroubles
An aged expression of Beaujolais! It’s often said that Beaujolais wines are not age-worthy, but that’s absolute nonsense. Such claims only apply to the Nouveaux and mass-produced varieties, which is true for any inexpensive wine. Mass-produced wines generally do not mature gracefully.
Domaine Lafarge-Vial is a new venture by Domaine Lafarge in Volnay, creating Burgundian-style wines in Beaujolais using Gamay. Their aim is to showcase the finest terroir. Grapes, cultivated biodynamically, undergo partial destemming and fermentation with punch-downs and pump-overs during maceration, followed by pressing in a vertical press. Maturation takes place in well-used barrels at Domaine Lafarge in Volnay.
This cuvée was evolving from ruby to garnet in color. The nose was highly pronounced, revealing a symphony of primary, secondary, and tertiary notes—a promising sign of beautiful maturation. The wine showcased flavors of red cherry, raspberry, sour cherry, black plum, red plum, anise, clove, cinnamon, raisin, prune, mint, dill, mushroom, porcini, and licorice. Savoring this wine was a remarkable experience, witnessing its elegant maturation. Despite its age, the freshness and lightness remained, embodying the quintessential characteristics of Chiroubles wines.
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The overall experience of tasting Chiroubles wines was refreshing. Often overlooked by many, this Cru is a true hidden gem. Personally, I enjoyed the month of Chiroubles more than the previous month dedicated to Moulin-à-Vent. The wines I uncorked were well-made and satisfying, particularly for those with an appreciation for light and perfumed wines. In an age where many wines trend towards bigger styles due to winemakers’ preferences or climate changes, I confidently recommend Chiroubles wines to those seeking something different and hoping to develop an appreciation for that distinction.