It’s ironic that “Fleurie” does not refer to flowers, but to a Roman legion that once conquered the Beaujolais region. Last year we offered a Domaine Bertrand wine from Brouilly and have anxiously awaited the opportunity to do another. Phonetically, “Brouilly” sounds plump and boyish while “Fleurie” sounds nimble and elegant, and that’s typically how the wines taste.
As we’ve been so excited to chronicle here, there has been a revolution in Beaujolais in the last decade—constant organic experimentation in the vineyards coupled with natural, hands-on winemaking. While Beaujolais has become one of the most tantalizingly delicious-to-drink wine regions in the world, we still must filter out the pieces of mediocrity, the over-extracted styles, the faulty smells, and plenty of wines that just don’t taste like Gamay! Today’s wine is pure achievement, a mastery of grape and place. It’s a wine I could drink repeatedly, never boring nor stale, never trying to do too much or too little. It’s perfectly Fleurie, in every respect Gamay...and simply fantastic. With over 10 cuvées from five different
cru villages, drinking and getting to know Domaine Bertrand is an excellent lesson in classic Beaujolais.
Not to be confused with Yann Bertrand (also of Beaujolais), Gérard Bertrand (of Languedoc-Roussillon), or Domaine Bertrand Bachelet (of Burgundy), this is Domaine Bertrand of Charentay, at the foot of the Brouilly hill. At this address, it’s a stealth team of three. Maryse and Jean-Pierre represent the second generation of the family, and in 2014, third generation Julien Bertrand joined the family practice. Winegrowers and makers since 1956, the wines are still nearly impossible to find in the US, and we’re grateful to be one of their ambassadors.
Today’s wine kicks off a big change at the domaine: In 2017, Julien persuaded the family to begin its conversion to 100% organic farming, a timely step up from their 16 hard-earned years of sustainable farming. While some winemakers adopt one method in the cellar to various terroirs, the Bertrand family customizes their treatment. The pressing, macerations, and aging vary from light to intense based on the terroir and its interaction with each vintage.
The 2017 Fleurie comes from a small parcel called “Les Déduits” that holds a mixture of sand, granite, and silty-clay soils. The Bertrand’s vines are older, about 40 years, and densely planted, with a warm southeast exposure, which together gives this wine deep-spirited flavor. But it’s the combination of well-draining sand and decomposed light granite that bring balance and a pair of wings to this seamlessly lifted Gamay. Domaine Bertrand brilliantly captures the spirit of Fleurie and shows us why Gamay from here is nothing like Gamay from up the road or down the hill. It is more delicate than a Brouilly and less hedonistic than a stalwart Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent. It’s got a touch of magic that will always keep us coming back for more.
Organic farming and successive hand-sorting in the vineyard leads to a ‘semi-carbonic,’ whole-bunch fermentation in the cellar. Fermentation without additional sulfur lasts 10-12 days, followed by aging in cement vats and 600-liter barrels for 15 months. The whole bunch fermentation leaches a bit of color, but semi-carbonic maceration fills the tank up with aromatics. Although the wine is pretty and expressive upon opening, do not hesitate to do a quick splash decant to dig up the deeper aromas. From there, serve (at cellar temperature) into a Burgundy stem whose larger surface area does this wine justice, acting like an invisible trampoline for fruity and savory aromatics.
In the glass, a ruby-purple core fades to a thin pink rim, appearing bright and youthful with moderate color concentration. On the nose, the wine is full of bounce, sky high with crushed raspberries and blackberries, spiced strawberries, and the confectionary smells of rose and purple, peppery violets. On the palate, the wine mimics its appearance in the glass, full of life and zesty minerality which exude the colors of black, green, and purple. The tannins are supple and creamy with enough weight to carry the wine into a medium-plus finish, ending with Beaujolais’ hallmark juicy freshness. Unlike the majority of red wines, the acidity in Cru Beaujolais, especially Fleurie, is high but unassuming. The singular combination of soft, mouthwatering acidity with silky tannin make today’s wine an ideal match for foods with a little fat and spice. The first thing that jumps to my mind is barbecue that is not overly sweet or saucy, like this following recipe. It’ll have you cooking like a Southerner and drinking like a Roman. Cheers!
