A deep and elegant Fleurie with lush red fruit and floral aromatics.  The 2018 vintage has aged gracefully and will continue to do so for years to come, especially in this large format.  The Chermette family strives to produce the best wine by paying close attention in the vineyard in order to reduce inputs and obtain pure and natural grapes.  Their motto is "L’art de faire le vin au plus près du raisin"; basically, the art of making wine is about being close to the grapes.  Harvest is done by hand by two teams of 25, and vinification and elevage are guided with a low intervention philosophy. 

"The bouquet is deep, pure, sappy and shows no signs of sur maturité in its combination of black cherries, black plums, bonfire, pigeon, dark soil tones and a topnote of fresh thyme. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely structured, with a sappy core of black fruit, a modicum of tannin and fine balance and grip on the long, complex and focused finish. This is quite low in octane for the 2018 vintage (it comes in listed at thirteen percent) and is a bit more structured as a result, so I would be inclined to tuck it away in the cellar for a few years and let the tannins soften up completely. It is a very good bottle in the making." - John Gilman, 10/2020

Pairing: Whole roast duck with black currant sauce

Grape: Gamay 

Soil: Decomposed pink granite 

Viticulture: Lutte Raisonnée, Terra Vitis certified