For three generations, Domaine Bertrand has mastered the art of crafting delicious Beaujolais, but the American market has yet to experience these small-batch wines—until now. Today’s offer marks the American debut of their Beaujolais and they couldn’t have chosen a better bottle of wine: Bertrand’s 2016 “Vuril” comes from just two hectares of 60-year-old vines in the southern reaches of Beaujolais’ Brouilly Cru.
And, with close ties to Beaujolais’ emerging superstar Yann Bertrand and SommSelect favorite Château de Grand Pré, Domaine Bertrand’s Brouilly is a perfect marriage of old-vine cultivation, sustainable farming, and clean winemaking know-how—resulting in a downright sensational bottle at a wildly affordable price. Only SommSelect customers will have the opportunity to enjoy this wine before anyone else in the American market, and while exclusivity isn’t everything, it sure is the icing on top! Even better, as addictive as Bertrand’s “Vuril” is today, it can certainly age while preserving its immense levels of minerality and fruit purity, so take your case allocation and slowly pull from it over the next five to seven years. This is a first-come, first-serve offer and it will easily go down as one of the most delicious $20-something wines you’ll try in 2018!
As mentioned, only a microscopic percentage of Domaine Bertrand’s wines have entered the US market for the very first time, despite them being a third-generation, 60-year-old winery decorated with accolades, showcased on top French wine lists, and on the shelves of Europe's best boutique retail shops. This family team owns 15 acres from Brouilly to Juliénas and they’ve farmed sustainably since the year 2000. More recently, Julien, the grandson of founders Michel and Marcelle Bertrand, has pushed heavily for organic and biodynamic conversion. Today’s Brouilly from “Vuril” is sourced from ancient vines in clay, limestone, and silt soils just outside the southern Beaujolais town of Charentay. Julien and his parents hand pick all the fruit, which is sorted in both the vineyard and winery. The grapes are 50% de-stemmed and undergo a temperature-controlled, ‘semi-carbonic’ maceration—the practice of loading whole grape bunches into a sealed container which triggers alcoholic fermentation among the crushed grapes at the bottom of the vessel, but also traps carbon dioxide inside the vessel, igniting an ‘intracellular’ fermentation in the grapes on top. The wine then aged an impressive 14 months in concrete vessels.
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Bertrand’s “Vuril” shows a deep ruby core with purple hues moving out to slight pink highlights on the rim—but don’t waste much time looking at it; instead, stick your nose into the glass. The aromas are incredibly perfumed—pretty, really—immediately showcasing ripe berry fruit mixed alongside a rush of granite and crushed rock minerality. Turned earth, rose petals, and lavender erupt after a few minutes of air, then fresh bursts of juicy, ripe fruit follow: black and blue plum, huckleberry, strawberries, crushed raspberries, and candied black cherry. “Vuril” is everything you could possibly want in Beaujolais—wonderful terroir-driven notes exist along mouthwatering freshness and the delicate ripeness of 2016, followed by supremely crunchy tannins throughout an unbelievably soft and elegant finish. It’s an amazing take on the vintage and certainly a top Beaujolais in terms of pleasurability, regardless of Cru. Consume this over the next seven years or show a quick 15 minute decant today while serving in Burgundy stems. I recommend matching it with a simple preparation of grilled sausages and fresh radicchio—easy, tasty, and a perfect pairing—you can’t go wrong!
