One of the many marvels of great Cru Beaujolais is that it can be richly colored and quite deeply concentrated but lively and refreshing at the same time. There’s fruit, earth, and flowers in abundance, but no excesses of tannin or alcohol to weigh you down. That is the magic of Château de la Bottière’s Juliénas: It tastes “big” without, in fact, being big.
This is a bit of vinous sleight of hand that Cru Beaujolais is especially good at, and no doubt the veteran SommSelect value-hunters out there will remember La Bottière as one of the best. Juliénas is the most northerly (and oldest) Beaujolais cru, and the Perrachon family of La Bottière has been entrenched in Juliénas since 1877. They’ve since become power players in southern Burgundy, working not just in Juliénas but five other villages in Beaujolais, and there’s a common theme among all of them: authenticity and unparalleled value-for-dollar. Today’s 2018 counts as a flagship and it delivers at the highest level imaginable: Sourced from 50+-year-old vines rooted in granitic soils, it is a seriously profound bottle of wine at this price. I can’t say exactly how they’re able to infuse a relatively light-bodied red with this much profundity—I’m just glad they do. Once again, it must be said: Cru Beaujolais is where it’s at!
As Burgundy-philes are aware, the name Juliénas is an ode to Julius Caesar. The Romans planted vines in Beaujolais over 2,000 years ago, and, according to wine lore, their place of choice was Juliénas, which is complicatedly diverse in soil types. Partly sandwiched, in the northern sector, between Chénas and Saint-Amour, the best-kept secrets of Juliénas have unusual blue-colored stones of schist, volcanic material, and granite. The magic is these bluish stones on steep south-facing slopes, which enhances Gamay with exotic spices, pitch-perfect floral notes, and an intensity that rivals age-worthy Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent.
The Perrachon family of Château de la Bottière has a striking portfolio of parcels from Fleurie to Morgon, but Juliénas is their lifeline. Like the Romans, they are deeply connected to Juliénas, having settled there in 1601. Farmers first, they established their estate in 1877, and today, seventh-generation Laurent Perrachon continues the efforts of his ancestors. There is nothing fancy or strictly natural about Laurent’s farming or processes. He believes in the classic lutte raisonnée way of life, a reasonable approach to farming which abstains from chemical treatments but reserves the right to use treatments when the life of the vine is in danger.
For whatever reason, Juliénas isn’t as well-known as Morgon or Fleurie, despite its long-established excellence as a terroir. Maybe that’s why this bottle is such a value. I can tell you for certain that La Bottière’s ’18 cedes nothing to its neighbors in the structure or complexity department—this is a deep and well-concentrated expression of the Gamay grape, occupying a spot on the fuller-bodied, more black-fruited end of the Cru Beaujolais spectrum. From vines that average 55 years of age, the fruit is harvested from several parcels within Juliénas that have blue stones and granite. To preserve freshness and bounce, the fruit is partially destemmed and fermented for two weeks, with daily punch downs to maximize flavor. Aging takes place in concrete tanks and large, old casks.
Let this wine aerate for 30 minutes and pour into Burgundy stems. It shimmers a dark ruby into magenta and soft purple. On the nose, it is a breeze of dark raspberries and wild strawberries, peppered with crushed violets, peonies, star anise, and an undercurrent of dark, stony earth. It is plenty smooth, pretty, and soft, but there is also a nice crunch of acid and tannin which gives the wine its lift and palate persistence. While exceedingly drinkable now, I’m confident it has enough gusto for short-term aging (3-5 years). Like Pinot Noir, Gamay syncs well with a wide array of foods, and I think this one has the stuffing for heartier preparations. Keep it rustic and soulful and marvel at how easily depth and refreshment can coexist. It’s pretty special. Cheers!
