Chateau Thivin Cote de Brouilly La Chapelle – 2019

This small (1 hectare) vineyard of 70 year old vines is situated right at the top of Mont Brouilly, and in the sunny and dry 2019 vintage this higher altitude has really worked in the wine’s favour. This wine has real tension, elegance and minerality.

“As usual, the 2019 Côte de Brouilly La Chapelle derives from a steeply sloping, southerly exposed parcel that’s comparatively high in altitude, and it has turned out superbly, offering up aromas of plums, wild berries, peonies and burning embers. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s velvety and layered, with racy acids, powdery tannins and a long, penetrating finish. I can’t wait to revisit it with a little bottle age. This historic estate continues to rank among the reference points for classical, age-worthy cru Beaujolais, and the 2019 vintage is a great success here. As I wrote last year, the Geoffrays have banished herbicides and insecticides from their vineyards and number among the appellation’s most conscientious farmers, working toward organic certification. In the cellar, winemaking is traditional, with semi-carbonic maceration and élevage generally in foudre—though some small cuvées see a little new wood. A staple of France’s best restaurants—and this writer’s table—any readers who are not acquainted with these wines are warmly advised to seek them out.” 94+/100pts The Wine Advocate