2020 Beaujolais

2020 Côte de Brouilly, Guy Breton Magnum Dry | Red | Still | 14%

Unlike the rest of the Breton range which is grown on granitic soils, this comes from the famous pierre bleue soils of Mont Brouilly. The parcel is actually owned by good friend, and Lay & Wheeler favourite, Jean-Claude Lapalu. J-C looks after the vines during the year, and he and Breton pick the parcel on the same day, with Breton buying half the grapes. The wines the two men make couldn’t be more different in style. This version is lightly scented with ripe strawberries and cinnamon. There’s a little light grip from some fine tannins that are woven through the symphony of sweet red fruits. It is a delicious expression of Beaujolais, one with some gentle body and sweet ripeness, but no heaviness at all.

Ready: 2022 - 2028

2020 Cote de Brouilly, Guy Breton Dry | Red | Still | 14%

Unlike the rest of the Breton range which is grown on granitic soils, this comes from the famous pierre bleue soils of Mont Brouilly. The parcel is actually owned by good friend, and Lay & Wheeler favourite, Jean-Claude Lapalu. J-C looks after the vines during the year, and he and Breton pick the parcel on the same day, with Breton buying half the grapes. The wines the two men make couldn’t be more different in style. This version is lightly scented with ripe strawberries and cinnamon. There’s a little light grip from some fine tannins that are woven through the symphony of sweet red fruits. It is a delicious expression of Beaujolais, one with some gentle body and sweet ripeness, but no heaviness at all.

Ready: 2022 - 2028

2020 Vin de France Eau Forte, Jean-Claude Lapalu Dry | Red | Still | 14%

This is low-intervention in the extreme: Jean-Claude doesn’t touch the tank during its 12 day maceration and fermentation. Combine this with zero sulphur and 100% whole bunch, and you’d be forgiven for assuming this would stray far onto the funky side of ‘natural’ wine. Yet it remains wonderfully poised. For anyone who knows the 2019 Eau Forte, this is a completely different animal. Where the 2019 was light, crunchy, and aromatic, the 2020 is powerful, structured, though still so very elegant. Its velour tannins and cool minty fruit culminate in a long sumptuous finish, and mean the wine is the most successful of Jean-Claude’s fuller-bodied 2020s.

Ready: 2021 - 2027