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Laurent Martray, Côte de Brouilly “Les Feuillées”

Burgundy / Beaujolais, France 2016 (750mL)
$30.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol

Laurent Martray, Côte de Brouilly “Les Feuillées”

When Laurent Martray discovered a single hectare of gnarled, century-old vines steeped in the mineral-rich granite of famous Côte de Brouilly, he envisioned micro-batch greatness. Why? Because Burgundian vines of this antiquity have the capacity to produce profoundly singular wines, but great care and responsibility is required from the grower—for Martray, this wasn’t an issue.
He’s been about anti-mechanization and traditional winemaking from the start: Meticulous hand-farming, maturation in old French barrels, and bottling without fining or filtering is a way of life for him. The result in 2016 was a Cru Beaujolais of extraordinary depth and class; a bottle that, quite simply, is some of the purest, most authentic wine money can buy. I’ve previously said the vanguards of Cru Beaujolais are seriously threatening to outclass value Burgundies from farther north with their extraordinary price-to-quality, equally noble terroir, and massive push towards natural farming—today’s offer only strengthens that statement. With each blink of the eye, there seems to be a new, buzzed-about challenger that enters the Beaujolais arena and right now it’s Laurent Martray. People always ask me what I drink when I’m at a restaurant or at home on the couch—buy today’s bottle and you’ll find out my answer for both. Just remember: one hectare of ancient, low-yielding vines doesn’t produce much wine, meaning we hardly have any to share. Good luck!
Laurent Martray’s holdings are primarily located in the village of Odenay, on the granite slopes of Brouilly’s Combiaty subzone. His holdings in Combiaty (augmented by a small vineyard in Côte de Brouilly) are part of the historic Château de la Chaize, a centuries-old property enjoying a modern renaissance. Martray is one of several vignerons farming the vines both for Château de la Chaize’s production and their own. His father had been a tenant farmer on the property as well, and they’ve been blessed with some seriously old vines. But today’s cuvée comes from a parcel in Côte de Brouilly that Laurent discovered by himself. One of the smallest crus in Beaujolais, vines here cling to the blue volcanic slate hillside of Mont Brouilly. 

Matray’s one-hectare parcel of  “Les Feuillées” consists of southwest-facing Gamay vines planted in 1916 (during the First World War!) and all fruit is hand-harvested. In the winery, a healthy percentage of his grapes are fermented whole cluster and aging occurs, in old foudres allowing that old-vine fruit character to shine without excess adornment. The small amount of wine that is bottled is done so without any filtering or fining of any kind. 

If you’ve enjoyed serious, top-of-the-line Cru Beaujolais before, this will be an automatic “get” in a blind tasting. For the pros out there, one smell will do the trick: this 2016 “Les Feuillées” is just that classic. It explodes with ripe huckleberry, black raspberries, red and blue plums, dried black cherries, forest floor, crushed granite, moss, tea leaves, candied violets, and grape stems. The supple palate bursts with layers of savory crushed earth and ripe forest berries that are enhanced by energetic waves of acidity (tilt your head down a bit and you’ll pick up on the mouthwatering freshness). Thanks to ancient vines and unmanipulated winemaking, there’s so much life and wisdom in this wine, so, like a good book, please take your time enjoying it. While there’s a decade of life still left in this bottle, feel free to open several now. All you need to do is (1) decant for 15-30 minutes, (2) serve around 60 degrees, and (3) savor in large Burgundy stems—this is a high-quality Burgundy, after all. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy / Beaujolais
Sub-Region
FranceCôte de Brouilly
Soil
Granitic
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Gamay 100%
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
Old Foudres
TEMP.
60
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2025+
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Blueberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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