If you’ve been a SommSelect reader for any significant amount of time, you’ve probably heard us sing the praises of Cru Beaujolais. Throughout the years, the terroir-specificity, the history, the value, and above all the sheer deliciousness of the category has remained unmatched. Rarely, though, does every aspect we prize in Cru Beaujolais converge with such brio as it does in Domaine Emile Cheysson’s Chiroubles “Clos Les Farges” 2020. It just ticks every box we can think of. There’s the 150+ year family winemaking history, the single-vineyard pedigree, the headspinning lift and grace we so prize in Cru Beaujolais. At almost five years of age, it’s now entering its prime drinking window, where it’ll really strut its stuff for the next half-decade or more. And on top of all that, it somehow comes in at less than $30 a bottle! Cheysson’s “Clos Les Farges” is basically our ideal candidate for a by-the-case purchase. Load up!
Chiroubles is one of the lesser-seen and more unique villages of Beaujolais. It’s sandwiched between the more famous Morgon and Fleurie, and shares some commonalities with both, primarily the granitic soils. But what sets Chiroubles apart is elevation; here, vineyards can be as high as 1500ft above sea level, making for more dramatic day-night temperature swings and slower ripening. Of all the villages in Beaujolais, Chiroubles is often the last to harvest, and generally produces the most elegant and ethereal wines in the appellation. That’s especially true of Cheysson’s “Clos Les Farges.” So many of the 2020 Cru Beaujolais we’ve tasted have been clunky, soft and stewy, miles away from the fresh and chiseled bottles we’ve prized here for so long. But “Clos Les Farges” is a return to form: a floral, red-fruited beauty ready to wow equally with its complexity and drinkability.
The wine’s purity is a testament to the Cheysson family’s centuries of viticultural knowhow. The family property originally belonged to the monks of Cluney. They were the first to clear the Chrioubles hillsides and plant Gamay. In the wake of the French Revolution, Emile Cheysson purchased it and began tending for the vines. The Cheyssons, five generations later, continue to employ the underground cellars dug into the hillside, where humidity and temperature levels remain naturally controlled. Cellar master Jean-Pierre Large employs classic semi-carbonic maceration, putting whole clusters of Gamay into vats and limiting extraction. After pressing, the wine ages in stainless steel to further enhance that Chiroubles freshness. It all feeds into Jean-Pierre’s motto: “fruit, glorious fruit.” This was certainly an overtly fruit-driven wine upon release; now, a few years removed, it’s transformed into something truly special.
A wine as aromatically lifted and kaleidoscopic as Emile Cheysson’s “Clos Les Farges” deserves a Burgundy bowl. It pours a limpid ruby-purple, the color mirroring the panoply of crunchy red fruit within. Crushed raspberry, cherry liqueur, pomegranate, marionberry, and plum skin all merge with floral and spice elements like rose petal, violets, cinnamon, and tobacco. It is, in short, a glory just to smell. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, soft with just-there tannin, the red fruit coming leading the charge before a wash of granitic minerality closes out the finish. It’s juicy and inviting, with a remarkable freshness. “Clos Les Farges” will go for at least another five years in your cellar, but feel free to also drink with abandon right now. Go deep; we promise you’ll want a lot of this on hand!
