Producer: Domaine de la Gapette

Where?

One would search in vain for a village called La Gapette in Beaujolais, since the name of this estate alludes to an item of clothing: the 1930s cap, like Jean Gabin in Le jour se lève and so many other classics where the headgear is worn slightly askew. It's the headdress of street musicians, open-air café owners... and Beaujolais winegrowers, many of whom used it to protect themselves from the sun during the harvest or the wind during winter pruning. Victor Blondin, a doctor of pharmacy, decided in 2013 to prefer the vineyard to the pharmacy and to take over the La Gapette wine estate, near Brouilly, which had been run by his family for five generations. One of his cousins, from a long line of winegrowers, helped him get set up. Without particularly putting himself forward, he quickly became one of the leading winemakers in the new Beaujolais winemaking landscape, an appellation which, as we have written elsewhere, has played a key role in the revival of natural wines in France thanks to its tradition of carbonic maceration.

Terroir, plots, and grape varieties

In the Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages appellations, the Domaine de la Gapette covers 4.2 hectares in Saint-Étienne-des-Oullières, near Mont Brouilly, and enjoys a beautiful hillside exposure that benefits both the Gamays and Chardonnays used to make the white Beaujolais. The soils are those of the northern part of Beaujolais: granite and sand resulting from the decomposition of the rock. The plots reserved for Chardonnay are mostly sandy-clayey.

Growing Methods

The estate, managed biodynamically and currently in the process of becoming certified organic, is committed to a nature-friendly approach. Careful observation and analysis of the vine's development cycles are carried out on each plot. The vines, often centuries old, are naturally grassed, benefiting from a diverse flora and fauna that ensures the biological balance of the soil. The soil is worked by horse (Urielle, a Breton mail mare). The harvest is entirely manual.

Vinification

According to Beaujolais tradition, vinification is carried out using whole bunches and begins with carbonic maceration, followed by pressing. Great care is taken in plot selection to highlight every aspect of the terroir. Fermentation takes place in concrete vats, an inert material that doesn't interfere with the aromas, and aging is divided between vats and barrels.

The Wines

Somewhat atypically in an appellation primarily devoted to Gamay reds, Victor Blondin produces natural Beaujolais whites, rosés, and reds that wonderfully express the typical Beaujolais character of the region, with a fruity and rich bouquet that reveals the minerality of the soil. The reds (Janchère cuvée) feature red and black fruits on the nose, along with leather, undergrowth, and gray pepper. On the palate, redcurrant, cherry, blackberry, and licorice. The tannins are generally powerful and refined. The whites—the all-too-rare Beaujolais whites—with their notes of fresh white fruit and a hint of honey, are truly seductive. Particular care is taken with the attractive, colorful labels.