Domaine Coudert Clos De La Roilette - Fleurie 2021

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Producer	Domaine Coudert Clos De La Roilette
Country	France
Region	Beaujolais
Subregion	Fleurie
Varietal	Gamay
Vintage	2021
Sku	12103137
Size	750ml

 

WA

91

From vines around 40 years old and up, on heavy clay soils with relatively little granite and quite a lot of the iron-like mineral manganese. The farming is sustainable or lutte raisonnée. All vineyard work is by hand; the soils are worked only superficially, at most twice per year, to protect the roots of the older vines. Vinification is traditional, semi-carbonic Beaujolais style. The whole clusters are harvested by hand and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in open-top concrete tank. Maceration lasts around 14 days for the "regular" Fleurie, with a submerged cap rather than punchdowns. Sulfur use is quite minimal. The wine is aged in large, old oak foudres for about 9 months before bottling. 

The Clos de la Roilette, a lieu-dit in the village of Fleurie, covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in the Beaujolais Crus. The clos has an eastern exposure, borders the Moulin-à-Vent  appellation, and produces wines that are beautiful when young and have the capacity to age 5-10 years, depending on the vintage. In the 1920’s, when the Fleurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-à-Vent appellation under which the clos had previously been classified. He created a label, using a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette without mentioning Fleurie. The owner vowed not to sell a drop of his wine on the French market and the production went to Switzerland, Germany and England. By the mid-1960s, the owner’s heirs had lost interest in the clos and a large portion of the land had gone wild and untended. In 1967, Fernand Coudert bought this poorly maintained estate and replanted the vineyards. His son Alain joined him in 1984, and has been the winemaker since. The Couderts say their particular terroir (mainly clay and manganese), and the age of their vines account for the richness of their wine. It has a deep blackcurrant color with a hint of purple, a restrained nose of crème de cassis, a rich, full mouth with aromas of cassis, black cherries, and a nutty character, and finishes with zesty acidity. This is a wine that ages gracefully and takes on the aromatic character of a Pinot Noir.

The 2021 Fleurie from Clos de la Roilette is drinking well out of the gates, offering up pretty aromas of spiced plums, petals and orange rind, followed by a medium-bodied, supple and melting palate. Fleshy and fine-boned, it's a pretty, demonstrative wine that will show at its best young. It's bottled under Nomacorc.

The Coudert family were indisposed when I made by annual tour of the Beaujolais this spring, but I made a point of catching up with their 2021s as soon as I could find them in bottle. They've turned out very nicely, and this year's Cuvée Tardive will be worth a special effort to seek out.