Today, on April 17, 2024, the producers of Moulin-à-Vent are stepping up and attempting to put the Cru in their Cru Beaujolais. On this, the 100th anniversary of the delimitation of the Moulin-a-Vent appellation (which predates the modern French appellation system by a decade), a formal request is being made to establish 14 Premier Cru vineyards within the Moulin-à-Vent appellation.

The process of establishing these 14 Premier Cru vineyards began in 2009, and a significant amount of research, paperwork, consensus building, and tasting have brought the Union des Viticulteurs de Moulin-à-Vent to this momentous point, exactly 100 years to the day from when France first officially decided that Moulin-à-Vent was a wine region deserving of a clear definition.

A Windmill and Its Vines

Moulin-à-Vent, literally “the windmill,” is one of the 10 so-called “Crus” of Beaujolais. Despite being referred to as “crus” these 10 appellations are no different than any other ordinary appellation in France, which is to say that no official quality designation has been made of their vineyards, which is what the official use of the word “Cru” normally entails. These 10 appellations of Beaujolais are casually described as “crus” mostly to distinguish them from Beaujolais Nouveau and more generic Beaujolais Villages wines.

Named after the 16th-century windmill that still stands above the Rue des Greneriers (street of grains) in the commune of Romanèche-Thorins, Moulin-à-Vent is a newer name for a wine region with a lengthy reputation for excellent, long-lived wines made from the Gamay grape.

For a long time, this section of Beaujolais was named after the commune which encompassed it: Romanèche. But Romanèche had something special, and everyone knew it: a vineyard named Moulin-à-Vent situated just below the commune’s main windmill. This vineyard would eventually become so famous for the wine it produced that sometime between 1913 and 1924, the entire wine region would adopt it as a moniker, setting this Beaujolais Cru apart from all the others that merely inherited their names from the most prominent village nearby.

Such a move wasn’t without precedent. Originally there was just one Montrachet in Burgundy, for instance, but now we also have Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, and Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet. Everyone wants a famous name if they can get it.

And there are good reasons for Moulin-à-Vent’s fame.

A Distinguished History

In 1860’s, an enterprising and multi-talented young engineer named Antoine Budker spent his days designing roads and bridges, and his nights and weekends studying wine. Fascinated by the terroir of southern Burgundy, in 1869 he published a beautiful map entitled “Carte des Vignobles des Côtes Beaujolaise, Mâconnaise & Chalonnaise,” in which he meticulously charted and described the vineyards of the region.

The map is an astonishing work of hand-drawn design and cartography, but it also contains an incredibly detailed and precise qualitative judgment about the various terroirs of the region. Budker’s work, perhaps inspired by the (then recent) 1855 classification of Bordeaux, represents the first known classification of the various lieu-dits of southern Burgundy.

As you can see, in addition to beautifully detailing the region, half the map is made up of Budkers rankings of the various vineyards in each region, carefully grouped into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th growths. Within the commune of Romanèche, Budker grouped 21 different lieu-dits, or named vineyards into classes, assigning Premier Cru status to Les Carquelains, Moulin-à-Vent, and Les Thorins.

We don’t know for sure how Budker made his judgments, though it’s likely that in addition to his own thoughts, he was influenced by the prevailing opinions of the time, which held that the wines of Moulin-à-Vent were among the very best, and most long-lived of all the wines in Beaujolais.

Indeed, this reputation led to enough fraudulent activity in the early 20th Century (basically people passing off lesser wines as Moulin-à-Vent) to prompt the French government, on April 17th, 1924 to create an Appellation de Origine regulation delimiting the boundaries of Moulin-à-Vent, one of the earliest such designations in France.

The formal AOC system of France wouldn’t be created for another 11 years, but shortly after it was established, Moulin-à-Vent was given its formal AOC designation in 1936.

Taken For Granite

Moulin-à-Vent makes up about 627 hectares of the 13,151 hectares within the Beaujolais wine region as a whole (those with an eye for detail will note that Budker’s map above defined the Romanèche region as 600 hectares in 1869).

Like most of the Beaujolais Crus, Moulin-à-Vent backs up against the Monts du Beaujolais hills to the west, with the highest vineyards sitting at an elevation of 255 meters above sea level. The appellation spreads to the north and south of a ridge of granite that cuts somewhat horizontally through the center of the appellation, running right underneath the famous windmill.

Between 2009 and 2018, an exhaustive and detailed geologic mapping project was carried out in Beaujolais, resulting in wonderfully detailed soil maps of the region, and a wealth of information about what lies underneath everyone’s vines.

That survey tells us that Moulin-à-Vent consists of around 53% granitic soils, 9% schists and other rock, and around 38% colluvial soils formed by the many creeks that run down out of the hills.

These creeks and the sloping nature of the appellation coming down off the western forested hills means that soil depths vary widely throughout the appellation, from a few centimeters in the tops of the rockiest ridges to several feet of colluvial material on the eastern, lowest-lying areas.

Such soil variations, combined with changes in elevation and aspect (not to mention winemaking styles and practices) lead to a fairly diverse range of wines produced in the appellation, from lithe and stony to darker, brawnier wines with much more tannic muscle and richness.

Old Vine Abundance

While I have regularly purchased and enjoyed Cru Beaujolais wines broadly, and Moulin-à-Vent wines specifically, I had not visited the region until last month, when I was invited to a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Moulin-à-Vent appellation.

My most surprising takeaway from this first visit remains the sheer abundance of old vines in the region. I’ve been to plenty of regions around the world with a lot of old vineyards, but very few have had the proliferation of old vines I saw in Moulin-à-Vent.

In fact, younger vineyards trained on cordon (instead of the old head-trained vines) were so uncommon that they began to stick out like a sore thumb in the landscape.

I am currently working with the Union des Viticulteurs de Moulin-à-Vent to get more statistics on the extent of old vines in the region and to get as many vineyards as possible added to the Old Vine Registry, but you will see from the tasting notes below, the majority of the wines I tasted were made by vines ranging from 50 to 110 years of age.

One of the unfortunate consequences of so much old vine material remains the significant use of herbicides by many growers, who feel they can’t afford the labor and time required to do the work by hand in vineyards that can’t be easily worked by tractor.

According to many producers I spoke with, herbicide use has actually been dropping significantly in the last decade. Nonetheless, views such as the one below are sadly still too common throughout the appellation.

Such scenes are an excellent reminder that life doesn’t easily fit into our often black-and-white ideals of sustainability. On the one hand, the view above with its chemical burns and probably depleted, lifeless, compacted soils proves both depressing and infuriating.

On the other hand, these (60+ year-old?) vines remain in the ground and continue to produce wine. Should we prefer that the farmer rip them out and replace them with new vines that can easily be worked by tractor? And what if doing so represents a financial cost that this small producer, who may only just break even each year, can’t possibly bear?

Yes, the organically farmed, herbicide-free fruit from such a vineyard might sell for a slightly higher price, but at the scale of a few hectares, that increase in price usually can’t cover the increased labor costs of more sustainable farming. Expecting farmers who are barely scraping by to voluntarily reduce their income in the name of environmentalism will always be a non-starter. Bread on the table and a roof overhead trump everything.

So what is a small farmer to do? More and more, they are just giving up and selling their land (if they are lucky enough to find a buyer). With younger generations that either have no interest in continuing the family business or who have run the numbers and see no way to make it financially sustainable, Beaujolais faces the same looming crisis as many wine regions around the world.

According to my fellow wine writer Cameron Jones, who lives in Beaujolais, more than 50% of the winegrowers in Beaujolais will retire in the next 10 years. It remains to be seen how many of these producers will successfully transition to the next generation, how many will sell their vineyards to local buyers or to an increasing number of outsiders investing in the region, and how many will simply abandon their vineyards.

Carbonic, Not So Much

Beaujolais is arguably the birthplace of the modern natural wine movement. In the early 80s, negociant Jules Chauvet inspired Morgon winemakers Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton to adopt what seemed at the time a radical approach to winemaking: eschewing all chemical inputs in the vineyard, and vinifying wines with zero additions, not even sulfur.

Chauvet’s chosen approach for winemaking in this way involved carbonic maceration, in which whole clusters of grapes are placed in a vat, topped with CO2, and then sealed off. In this oxygen-starved, carbon-dioxide-rich environment, fermentation begins on the interior of the individual berries, where cell walls in the fruit begin to break down, releasing pigment and aroma compounds as sugars begin to convert to alcohol. Eventually, the berries burst, releasing their juice which then finishes fermentation in much the same manner as any winemaking process.

Carbonic maceration tends to produce fruitier, more aromatic wines, often of a lighter color. Beaujolais Nouveau is the most famous category of wines typically produced using this method, but thanks to Chauvet and his so-called Gang of Four, carbonic maceration has become a common technique for some natural winemakers around the world, as well as for many conventional winemakers in Beaujolais.

But interestingly, not in Moulin-à-Vent.

Moulin-à-Vent has had a lasting reputation for making the longest-lived wines in the Beaujolais region, resting on fairly traditional winemaking methods found throughout the rest of Burgundy.

Occasionally you will find winemakers that will put a portion of their fruit through carbonic maceration, but the majority of producers will simply ferment their grapes (often with a portion of whole cluster) in tanks, use pumpovers or punchdowns for extraction, and then age in a combination of steel, concrete, and oak barrels, using sulfur as necessary throughout the process.

The producers of Moulin-à-Vent seem largely content to stick with their tried-and-true methods and have not ventured in any significant numbers into the world of natural winemaking.

Crus Control

The application being submitted today requesting that the INAO create Premier Cru designations within Moulin-a-Vent proposes 14 lieu-dits to be promoted to that status:

Les Thorins
Champ de Cour
La Rochelle
Les Vérillats
Le Carquelin
Aux Caves
Au Michelon
Rochegrès
Le Moulin-à-Vent
La Roche
La Tour du Bief
Les Pérrelles
Les Rochaux
Chassignol

If you look closely at the images above, you can see that all 14 of these vineyards were listed on Budker’s 1869 map. They generally (but not entirely) tend to be south-facing vineyards, on a slope, with thinner, rockier soils. All told, they represent less than 30% of the appellation’s vineyard area, a threshold that I am told is important in such applications.

While the producers of Moulin-à-Vent are confident in their application, they hold no illusions about how long they may have to wait. In the neighboring Mâcon region, Pouilly-Fuissé waited 10 years to have some of its vineyards awarded Premier Cru status. No bets are currently being taken as to whether French bureaucracy is moving slower or faster in a post-Pandemic world.

Producers I spoke with suggested that they expect INAO to grant Premier Cru status to some but not all of the lieu-dits suggested and that the borders of some may be redrawn in the process.

Interestingly, in addition to proposing 14 lieu-dits for promotion to Premier Cru, the producers of Moulin-à-Vent are also proposing specific regulations for wine production in Premier Cru sites, including:

• No use of herbicides
• A maximum yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare (vs. 52 hl/ha currently)
• A minimum of 6 months’ aging before bottling
• No wines released before the next December after each vintage (current regulations allow wines to be released in June)

I’m pretty excited by the first of these self-imposed regulations, as are a number of the producers whom I met in the region. Pouilly-Fuissé implemented a similar herbicide ban in its Premier Cru regulations, as did Pomerol in Bordeaux, but such outright bans are still quite uncommon in the world of wine.

Undersung and Undervalued

Cru Beaujolais has become more talked about in recent years, but even wine geeks seem divided in opinion on the virtues of Gamay. Perhaps this represents a lingering stigma derived from the Nouveau craze and its bubble-gum and banana nastiness.

Let’s be clear, however. Good Cru Beaujolais is about as far from Nouveau as White Burgundy is from White Claw. Gamay is a complex and interesting grape variety, that I believe does an excellent job of expressing the place in which it grows. That said, I have certainly met plenty of Gamay detractors. Even more than for Sauvignon Blanc, the other grape that some wine cognoscenti seem to love to hate.

A certain contingent of wine lovers, myself included however, believe Cru Beaujolais to be one of the best-kept secrets of the wine world at the moment. For starters, with Burgundy prices at outrageous levels, Cru Beaujolais wines represent outstanding values.

Only the hottest handful of producers fetch prices above $60 per bottle, with really excellent, terroir-driven wines easily findable at $30-40 apiece. Especially from Moulin-à-Vent, which doesn’t get the same attention lavished on Fleurie or Morgon thanks to the success of the Gang of Four and their evolving array of hip, natural-wine colleagues.

Even setting aside value, terroir-driven Gamays from granite or schist soils offer a wonderful array of pleasurable flavors and textures. The best wines of Moulin-à-Vent, for instance, feature blood orange and boysenberry fruit flavors that often have a savory edge, incorporating notes of dried and fresh flowers as well as dried herbs. Usually lower in alcohol and driven by acidity, these wines are fresh and sapid, often directly expressing a stony quality in their texture and tannins, backed by a citrusy quality that usually translates to a mouthwatering experience

The real secret of Cru Beaujolais in general, and Moulin-à-Vent in particular, lies in these wines’ ability to not only age gracefully but to transform and improve with age. Like good Burgundy, these wines can blossom into secondary and tertiary flavors and aromas that prove extremely compelling.

In tasting a bunch of aged Moulin-à-Vent during my recent visit, I discovered the distinct note of rooibos tea as an emerging signature of the older wines, often combined with a meaty, umami character that sometimes had an alluring saline component. Frankly, I could drink 10-year-old Moulin-à-Vent all night long, and likely with more satisfaction than I get from a comparable, unfamiliar Burgundy that I might select from a restaurant wine list.

Both young and old, the wines of Moulin-à-Vent are worthy of attention and even devotion from wine lovers of every stripe. Get your hands on some now before the addition of Premier Cru to their labels invariable drives up their prices.

Tasting Notes

The following wines were tasted on my recent visit to the region. I’ve left off the (very few) truly disappointing wines, leaving a list of wines I can heartily recommend. Unfortunately, many are not available for purchase in the US, but I have linked those I can find.

Wines With a Score Around 9.5

1991 Domaine de la Tour de Bief Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium ruby in the glass, with hints of coffee at the rim, this wine smells of struck match and bacon fat. In the mouth, salty dried berries mix with thyme and rosemary. Intense, stony, with a hint of earth on the finish. Soaring aromatics. Delicious. This is a blank bottle with a small handwritten label that simply says “new barrel.” Phenomenal.

2020 Domaine de Colonat “Les Grenèriers” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of raspberry, cherry, and blood orange. In the mouth, electric acidity makes flavors of blood orange, plum skin, and dried flowers incredibly juicy. Utterly mouthwatering, with notes of earth and citrus peel lingering in the finish. Very supple tannins grip the edges of the mouth and gain some firmness with time but not enough to impact the juicy pleasure of this wine and its explosive acidity. 65-year-old vines fermented in concrete with extended maceration and pumpovers. 10% whole cluster. Aged in a combination of 30% oak and 70% concrete for 8 months. 4000 bottles made. 14% alcohol. 14% alcohol. $??

2020 Louis Boillot “Les Brussellions” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of wonderfully perfumed fresh floral aromas mixed with boysenberry. In the mouth, wonderfully juicy blood orange and boysenberry flavors have a lovely floral quality and juicy orange peel acidity. Putty-like tannins are fine-grained but have a different presence on the palate than the other parcels that Boillot vinifies separately. There’s great freshness here and a lingering earthiness. I really adore this wine. 13% alcohol. $36. click to buy.

Wines With a Score Between 9 and 9.5

2020 Château Du Moulin-à-Vent “Les Vérillats” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood oranges, thyme, and lavender. In the mouth, blood orange and citrus peel flavors mix with herbs and boysenberries as the faintest gauzy tannins caress the edges of the palate. Excellent acidity and a faint piney resinous quality make for a perfumed and unique wine. 70-year-old vines fermented in steel with no sulfur additions. One pumpover per day. 75% whole-cluster. Ages for 18 months, 25% in oak, the rest in tank. 8523 bottles made. In organic conversion. $53. click to buy.

2022 Domaine de Colonat “Les Thorins” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dried flowers and blood orange with hints of dried herb. In the mouth, blood orange and orange peel flavors mix with flowers and dried herbs. Fine-grained tannins, and a nice stony underbelly. Great freshness. Granite sand, deep soils but very sandy. 30% aged in third-use oak, the balance in concrete. 13.5% alcohol. 5000 bottles made. $35. click to buy.

2020 Domaine de Colonat “Les Thorins” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of blood orange, citrus peel, and dried flowers. In the mouth, elegant, fine tannins hang in a haze around a juicy core of blood orange and plum skin, mixed with boysenberry flavors that have a wonderful aromatic sweetness. Fantastic suppleness, stony minerality, and great length and depth. 13.5% alcohol. 4000 bottles made. $35. click to buy.

2022 Domaine de la Tour de Bief “Clos de la Tour” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and black cherry with a hint of incense and orange peel. In the mouth, wonderfully juicy black cherry and blood orange flavors mix with dried herbs and orange peel. Fantastic acidity and faint powdery tannins. Vines are on average 80 or 90 years old. 13% alcohol. $27. click to buy.

1985 Domaine de la Tour de Bief Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium ruby in the glass with hints of coffee and lots of sediment, this wine smells of dried herbs and smoked meats. In the mouth, wonderful smoked meats and spices mix with aromatic resinous herbs like rosemary, thyme, and rooibos. Wonderfully fresh with great acidity. Stony, dried orange peel. Super silky.

2020 Domaine Richard Rottiers “Mortperay” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of boysenberries and blood orange. In the mouth, gorgeously bright acidity keeps flavors of blood orange and aromatic herbs bouncing over the palate. Juicy and mouthwatering with faint powdery tannins. 70-year-old vines fermented semi-carbonically in concrete. 100% whole-cluster. Aged for 10 months in oak. 6000 bottles made. Certified organic. 14% alcohol. $30.

2022 Louis Boillot “La Rochelle” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry and boysenberry fruit tinged with flowers and candied orange peel. In the mouth, fantastic acidity keeps blood orange and black cherry flavors bright and juicy with even a hint of salinity. Soaring aromatics, with orange oil and flowers lingering in the finish. Lightly muscular tannins show themselves over time. Vines are roughly 80 years old. A warmer site but with very stony soils. 13% alcohol. $52.

2020 Louis Boillot “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of carob, plum, and blood orange. In the mouth, juicy plum skin, boysenberry, and blood orange flavors have a lovely aromatic sweetness and are made zingy and bright with an orange peel/orange oil acidity. There’s a lovely stony underbelly that comes through in the finish, which almost leans metallic by the end. Faint, powdery tannins barely caress the palate at first but then like a cloud forming in a clear sky, gain weight and substance on the palate. Vines are at least 70 years old. 13% alcohol. $25. click to buy.

2016 Louis Boillot “Les Rouchaux” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of rooibos tea and dried herbs layered over red fruits. In the mouth, silky flavors of rooibos tea, thyme, and lavender mix with blood orange and orange peel flavors mixed with a hint of earthiness. Wonderfully bright acidity keeps the wine quite fresh and stony, while powdery tannins give the impression of wet pavement or pulverized stone. 13% alcohol. $36. click to buy.

2014 Louis Boillot “Les Rouchaux” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of struck match, rooibos tea, and raspberries. In the mouth, wonderfully silky and juicy orange oil and resinous aromatic herbs mix with raspberry and rooibos tea. Hints of blood orange still can be sensed in the wine, as fine-grained tannins leave a stony quality in the wine. The acidity makes this wine quite fresh. A cold vintage, and a difficult one. 12.5% alcohol. $36.

Wines With a Score Around 9

2020 Château De Beauregard “La Salomine” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, his wine smells of blood oranges and dried flowers. In the mouth, fantastically bright and juicy flavors of blood orange, citrus peel, aromatic herbs, and flowers have a faintly saline edge to them and mouthwatering acidity. Long and perfumed, with faint gauzy tannins. 110 year old vines. 80% whole cluster. Aged for 10 months in oak. 2000 bottles made. $35.

2020 Domaine de Chênepierre “Vignes de 1913” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry and black tea. In the mouth, juicy blood orange and blackberry flavors mix with dried aromatic herbs and a hint of salinity. Excellent acidity keeps things juicy and bright. Faint tannins coat the mouth. Vines planted in 1913. Fermented in steel with a submerged cap. 80% whole cluster. Aged for 10 months in foudre. 2500 bottles made. $??

2020 Domaine de Colette “Le Mont” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of herbs and dark berries and earth. In the mouth, fantastic acidity makes blood orange and black cherry flavors bright and juicy as herbs and earth linger in the finish. Light grippy tannins squeeze the palate. 80 year-old vines fermented in concrete with a combination of punchdowns and pumpovers. 20% whole cluster. Ages for 9 months in concrete. In organic conversion. 10,000 bottles made. 13% alcohol. $??

2023 Domaine de Colonat “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of rooibos tea and dried flowers, blood orange, and raspberries. In the mouth, bright orange peel acidity makes flavors of boysenberry and raspberry flavors juicy and bright. Light herbal notes and floral tones with a hint of nuttiness emerge in the finish. Supple tannins, very fine-grained, with excellent minerality. Bottled one week ago. Vines between 65 and 92 years old. 13.5% alcohol. $25.

2022 Domaine de Colonat “Les Grenèriers” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and boysenberry. In the mouth, fantastically bright, juicy acidity makes boysenberry, plum, and blood orange flavors quite mouthwatering as citrus peel and citrus oil linger in the finish. Powdery, supple tannins that thicken and get much more muscular over time. Softer minerality, thanks to very deep colluvial soils, with granite and other mixed sediments. 14% alcohol. $??

2018 Domaine de Colonat “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of blood orange and plum, with hints of dried flowers and herbs. In the mouth, bright and juicy acidity makes blood orange and orange peel and rooibos flavors quite fresh and bright. Stony minerality surfaces quite strongly here, with herbs and dried flowers lingering in the finish. Fine powdery tannins. 13% alcohol. $25. click to buy.

2022 Domaine de la Tour de Bief “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and boysenberry. In the mouth, smooth silky textures deliver blood orange, black cherry, and orange peel flavors with notes of dried and fresh herbs plus a touch of earth. Juicy acidity and bright silkiness. Vines are 60-65 years old. 13% alcohol. $25.

2020 Domaine De La Tour Du Bief “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of blood oranges and herbs. In the mouth, blood orange, aromatic herbs, and earth flavors are juicy with fantastic acidity and velvety with extremely fine-grained tannins. Vines between 40 and 70 years old. Fermented in stainless steel with no sulfur additions. One pumpover per day. 35% whole cluster. 11 months of aging in concrete tank. 22,895 bottles made. 13% alcohol. $25.

2020 Domaine De La Tour Du Bief “Clos de La Tour” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood oranges and dried flowers. In the mouth, blood orange and dried herbs mix with dried citrus peel and dried flowers. Gauzy tannins gain some muscle as the wine lingers through a long finish. Excellent acidity. 80-year-old vines, fermented in stainless steel with no sulfur additions. One pumpover per day. 40% whole cluster. Aged for 15 months in concrete. 1500 bottles made. 13% alcohol. $??

2023 Domaine du Colette “Le Mont” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium purple in color, this wine smells of boysenberry and blackberry fruit with a piney herbal note. In the mouth, boysenberry and blueberry flavors are shot through with aromatic herbs and a touch of wet dirt. Excellent acidity and lightly fleecy tannins. Delicious. 13% alcohol. $??

2022 Domaine du Colettte “Le Mont” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and boysenberry with hints of dried herbs. In the mouth, blood orange and orange peel flavors mix with dried herbs and rooibos tea. Excellent acidity and a nice earthy note linger in the finish. Lightly muscular tannins. 80% destemmed. 13% alcohol. $??

2019 Domaine du Colettte “Cuvee Julienne” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of boysenberry, cherry, and dried herbs. In the mouth, boysenberry and raspberry mix with dried and fresh herbs that have a wonderful freshness and stoniness. Faint, grippy tannins. 13.5% alcohol. $??

2022 Domaine du Granit “Cuvee Tradition” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dried herbs and blood oranges. In the mouth, excellent acidity brightens hints of camphor and blood orange as they mix with orange peel and dried herbs. 100% destemmed. Cold maceration for 4-5 days. 15% oak, 50% concrete tanks, and 35% in stainless. A blend of all the parcels in the domaine. 13% alcohol. $30. click to buy.

2015 Domaine du Granit “La Rochelle” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of resinous herbs and potpourri with a hint of red fruits. In the mouth, minty resinous herbs mix with blood orange and cherry, with dusty tannins that gain muscle over time and very good acidity that leaves a freshness lingering in the finish. Very tasty. 13% alcohol. $35

2015 Domaine du Granit “Les Caves” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of lavender and blood oranges. In the mouth, herbs and spices mix with blood orange and a hint of more umami quality. Lightly grippy tannins gain muscle over time. Excellent acidity keeps things fresh and stony. Notes of cedar and a hint of salinity linger in the finish. 14% alcohol. $35

2009 Domaine du Granit “Les Caves” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of camphor wood and chopped resinous herbs. In the mouth, fresh and bright rosemary and mint flavors mix with dried berries and rooibos. Hints of orange peel linger in the finish. Great acidity and fine powdery tannins. There’s a stony freshness to the wine that is quite compelling. 13% alcohol. $35

2020 Domaine Louis Boillot “Plantier de Favre” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood oranges and dried flowers. In the mouth, blood orange, dried herbs, and flowers mix with orange peel and earth. Great acidity and stony powdery tannins. Pretty. 75-year-old vines fermented in stainless steel with punchdowns and pumpovers. 100% destemmed. Aged for 18 months in 500L oak. 900 bottles made. 13% alcohol $3

2022 Paul Janin & Fils “Domaine des Vignes du Trembley” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and flowers. In the mouth, boysenberry flavors mix with blood orange and orange oil as bright acidity keeps things fresh. Muscular tannins wrap around the core of fruit and gain muscle over time. A stony underbelly like wet pavement. Excellent acidity. This is a blend of all his parcels with primarily granite soils. Vines between 50 and 70 years old. 13.5% alcohol. $35. click to buy.

2022 Paul Janin & Fils “Heritage” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange, rooibos tea, and dried herbs. In the mouth, vibrant citrus oil acidity keeps the wine quite fresh as blood orange and citrus pith flavors mix with dried herbs and earth. Muscular tannins and a deep stony quality. Made from the producer’s oldest vines, this cuvée is 70% whole cluster fermented. 13.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2020 Paul Janin & Fils “Héritage” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and boysenberries. In the mouth, bright, juicy blood orange and black cherry flavors mix with orange peel and dried herbs. Great acidity and faint powdery tannins. Great length. 112 year-old vines. Fermented semi-carbonically in concrete with pumpovers and punchdowns. 80% whole cluster. Ages for 18 months in stainless steel. 6000 bottles made. In organic conversion. 14.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2019 Paul Janin & Fils “Heritage” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine has a lovely floral perfume with hints of blood orange and boysenberry. In the mouth, raspberry and cherry flavors are shot through with orange peel and orange oil flavors plus dried herbs. Silky texture with grippy tannins that snag the edges of the mouth, but don’t keep the wine from seeming to slide smoothly across the palate. Lightly bitter kumquat flavor in the finish. Great acidity, stony minerality. 100% destemmed due to frost in April. 13% alcohol. $32. click to buy

2018 Paul Janin & Fils “Heritage” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and black cherry. In the mouth, black cherry and blueberry flavors have an earthy quality that is darker than the 2019 vintage. Good freshness and excellent acidity, with muscular tannins that stiffen over time. Deeply stony. 70% whole cluster fermentation. 13.5% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

2022 Louis Boillot “Champ de Cour” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells slightly of struck match plus blood orange and dried herbs. In the mouth, dried herbs, orange peel, and blood orange flavors are bright with juicy acidity. Faint, powdery tannins hang wispily on the edges of the palate but then with some time, they get grippy and more muscular. 85-year-old vines. 13% alcohol. $44. click to buy.

2022 Louis Boillot “Aux Caves” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of more subdued stony aromas of blood orange and wet pavement with just a hint of animality. In the mouth, juicy blood orange and orange peel flavors mix with plum and dried herbs. Excellent acidity keeps the wine quite fresh and juicy, while powdery tannins coat the mouth. Notes of earth and herbs linger in the finish. Vines are 85 years old. 13% alcohol. $45.

Wines With a Score Between 8.5 and 9

2020 Château Bonnet “Le Petit Brennay” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of faintly stony blood orange and black cherry. In the mouth, fine, stony tannins wrap around a core of blood orange and boysenberry fruit, with hints of nut skin lingering in the finish with dried herbs. Very good acidity. 60-year-old vines. Fermented in concrete without carbonic maceration, using a submerged cap technique. 100% whole cluster. Ages for 12 months in concrete. In organic conversion. $??

2022 Château des Gimarets Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, opaque with a fine haze of sediment, this wine smells of herbs and earth and berries. In the mouth, powdery tannins coat the mouth like chalk dust, as flavors of berries and herbs have a pulverized stone quality to them. Good acidity. 100% destemmed. 55-year-old vines fermented in concrete with punchdowns, then aged in stainless steel for 8 months. 2000 bottles made. Demeter-certified biodynamic. $25.

2020 Château du Moulin-à-Vent “Champ de Cour” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of dried herbs and berries. In the mouth, blood orange and boysenberry flavors mix with road dust and citrus peel as powdery tannins coat the mouth. Very good acidity. 50-year-old vineyard fermented in stainless steel with no sulfur addition. One pumpover per day. 20% whole-cluster. Aged for 18 months, 25% in oak, the rest in tank. 7942 bottles made. In organic conversion. $70. click to buy.

2020 Collin-Bourisset “Domaine des Hospices Civils de Romanèche-Thorins” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood oranges and blackcurrant. In the mouth, wonderfully smooth flavors of boysenberry and blood orange are dusted with wispy tannins and hints of dried herbs. Good acidity. 45-year-old vines fermented in a combination of concrete and wood with a submerged cap. 50% whole-cluster. Aged in a combination of tanks and oak barrels for 18-25 months. 4200 bottles made. $??

2020 Domaine De Colette “Cuvée Julienne” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and orange peel. In the mouth, very good acidity makes blood orange and citrus peel flavors juicy as herbs and road-dust tannins emerge on the finish. Quite tasty, with hints of dried herbs and earth lingering in the finish. 80-year-old vines fermented in concrete with pumpovers and punchdowns. 20% whole cluster. Aged 18 months in oak. In organic conversion. 13.5% alcohol. 2000 bottles made. $??

2022 Domaine de Colonat “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberry and blood orange with hints of dried herbs. In the mouth, bright acidity makes flavors of blackberry and orange peel quite lively, as fine-grained, supple tannins wrap around the core of polished and silky fruit. Orange peel and blood orange notes emerge in the finish along with dried flowers. Comes from three different parcels within Moulin-à-Vent. Aged 20% in oak and 80% in concrete. Vines between 65 and 92 years old. 13.5% alcohol $25. click to buy.

2020 Domaine De La Sionnière Patenôtre “Cuvee En Amphore” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange, dried flowers, and a hint of struck match. In the mouth, juicy blood orange and dried herb flavors have very good acidity and nice dusty tannins that coat the mouth. 100-year-old vineyards fermented in concrete with submerged cap. 100% whole cluster. Aged for 18 months in amphora. 14% alcohol. $??

2020 Domaine De Rochegres “Rochegrès” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of aromatic herbs and blood oranges. In the mouth, juicy blood orange and black cherry flavors mix with dried herbs, and a hint of spiciness, as dusty tannins coat the mouth. Excellent acidity. Just a tiny bit of alcoholic heat in the finish. 80-year-old vines, fermented in concrete and stainless. 15% whole cluster with pumpovers. Aged in a combination of 60% oak and 40% tank for 12 months. 9450 bottles made. 14% alcohol. $50. click to buy.

2022 Domaine Du Clos Du Fief “Les Deschanes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of blood orange, earth, and dried flowers. In the mouth, earthy and stony flavors of blood orange, wet pavement, and dried herbs have a deep wet-dirt quality, with aromatic herbs lingering in the finish. 80-year-old vines fermented semi-carbonically with 80% whole clusters in concrete. Aged for 10 months in concrete. 8000 bottles made. 13.5% alcohol. $??

2018 Domaine du Colette “Cuvée Julienne” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium ruby in the glass with garnet highlights, this wine smells of raspberry, a hint of oak, and dried herbs. In the mouth, blood orange and raspberry flavors mix with dried herbs and road dust. Lightly powdery tannins wrap around the core of fruit. Good acidity. 14% alcohol. $??

2022 Domaine du Granit “La Rochelle” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of oak, berries, and dried herbs. In the mouth, great acidity brightens flavors of berries and citrus peel, blood oranges, and vanilla. Lightly grippy tannins, notes of oak lingering in the finish. Aged in older oak from Chassagne-Montrachet. 13% alcohol. $35.

2009 Domaine du Granit “La Rochelle” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium ruby in the glass with hints of orange, this wine smells of dried herbs and berries. In the mouth, bright and juicy acidity keeps flavors of orange peel, dried herbs, and cedar quite fresh and almost minty. Powdery tannins have relaxed and coat the mouth as the wine finishes with fennel seeds and herbs. 13% alcohol. $35.

2009 Domaine du Granit “Lucile-Maud” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium ruby in the glass, with a faint haze, this wine smells of rooibos and berries, dried herbs and flowers. In the mouth, lightly grippy tannins wrap around a core of berry and rooibos, dried herbs, orange peel, and stony minerality. Excellent acidity and freshness. This is a special cuvee from a specific vineyard, given extended maceration, aged between 18 and 22 months in 20-25% new oak. Bottled without filtration. Named after the winemaker’s two daughters. 13.5% alcohol. $40.

2000 Domaine du Granit “Les Caves” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium tawny ruby in the glass, with coffee-colored highlights, this wine smells of bacon fat, dried herbs, and camphor wood. In the mouth, salty umami flavors of bacon fat, rooibos, and chestnut mix with dried herbs and great acidity that keeps things fresh and stony. Faint powdery tannins. 13% alcohol. $35.

2020 Domaine Du Penlois “Sous L’aile Du Moulin” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange, crushed stone, and herbs. In the mouth, blood orange and wet earth mix with aromatic herbs. Excellent acidity and faint dusty tannins. 50-year-old vines fermented in concrete with pumpovers and punchdowns. 50% whole cluster. Aged in stainless steel and foudre for 12 months. 14,000 bottles made. 13% alcohol. $??

2021 Paul Janin & Fils “Heritage” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange juice and blackberry. In the mouth, rich blackberry and blood orange flavors mix with dried herbs and a touch of wet earth. Dried herbs and fennel seeds linger in the finish. Very gauzy, fine-grained tannins. A blend of two lieu-dits with the estate’s oldest vines, which are between 80 and 110 years old and grown on granite soils. 13% alcohol. This particular vintage was 100% destemmed due to the poor quality of the vintage: frosts, then damp mildew. $36. click to buy.

2021 Famille Chermette “Rochegres” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of aromatic herbs, blood orange juice, and blood-orange peels. In the mouth, juicy blood orange flavors have a stony backdrop and scents of herbs lingering in the finish. Good acidity keeps things fresh and stony. 55 year old vines. Fermented semi-carbonically in concrete. Aged in Foudre, with 5% new oak for 8 months. 14,000 bottles made. 13% alcohol. $35.

2020 Famille Guerin “La Vigne de Mon Père” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and dried flowers. In the mouth, juicy flavors of blood orange and black cherry mix with aromatic herbs and faint powdery tannins. 50-year-old vines fermented in concrete semi-carbonically. 100% whole cluster. Aged for 10 months in concrete. 14% alcohol. 6500 bottles made. $37. click to buy.

2020 Famille Lardet Le Nid “La Rochelle” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange, oak, and blackberries. In the mouth, lightly grippy tannins wrap around a core of black cherry and blood orange tinged with oak and dried herbs. Slightly more oak influence here than I would like. 90-year-old vines fermented in stainless with punchdowns. 20% whole cluster. Aged 15 months in oak. 2500 bottles made. 14% alcohol. $??

2022 Louis Boillot “Vieilles Vignes” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass this wine smells of wet earth, boysenberries, and blood oranges. In the mouth, bright blood orange and orange peel flavors have a juicy elegance with faint powdery tannins offering a ghostly presence on the palate and throughout the mouth. Notes of herbs linger in the finish. A blend of 4 parcels on similar granitic sand soils. Average vine age is 70-75 years. Lower extraction. 13% alcohol. $32. click to buy.

Wines With a Score Around 8.5

2020 Cave du Château de Chenas “Coeur de Granit” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of aromatic herbs and dark berries. In the mouth, boysenberry and black cherry fruit mix with dried herbs and sawdust. Faint powdery tannins. 50 year-old vines. Aged in concrete for 6 months. 32,600 bottles made. $??

2020 Cave du Château de Chenas “Exception” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood orange and boysenberries. In the mouth, dried herbs and boysenberry fruit have a savory, faintly bitter quality, with dried herbs lingering in the finish. Decent acidity and the faintest of tannins. 60 year old vines. Vinified in concrete and aged in steel for 9 months. 7000 bottles made. $??

2020 Château Bonnet “Vin de Garde – Les Rocheaux” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of aromatic herbs and boysenberries. In the mouth, powdery, stony tannins wrap around a core of orange peel and boysenberry flavors shot through with dried herbs. The tannins dry the mouth slightly with flavors of oak lingering in the finish. 50-year-old vines. Fermented in concrete with a submersed cap. 30% whole cluster. Aged 14 months in demi-muid barrels. 2000 bottles made. In organic conversion. $??

2020 Château des Jacques “Clos de Rochegrès” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood oranges and aromatic herbs. In the mouth, gauzy tannins wrap around a core of boysenberry, orange peel, and dried herbs. Oak emerges on the finish. Good acidity. 70-year-old vines fermented in concrete after being destemmed. Then aged for 12 months in oak. 14,000 bottles made. 14% alcohol. $41. click to buy.

2020 Château des Jacques “Clos des Thorins” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of sweet oak and berries. In the mouth, good acidity keeps flavors of blood orange, boysenberry, and oak bright and fresh. Faint tannins. 60-year-old vines fermented in concrete. 100% destemmed. Aged for 12 months in oak. 3000 bottles made. 14% alcohol. $40. click to buy.

2020 Domaine De La Sionnière Patenôtre “Diochon” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blood oranges, black cherries, and herbs. In the mouth, excellent acidity keeps somewhat brawny tannins from being too overwhelming, but they definitely put the squeeze on black cherry and blood orange flavors tinged with herbs. This wine needs some time to open up. 70-year-old vines, fermented in concrete with submerged cap. 100% whole-cluster. Aged in a combination of foudre and tank for 10 months. 12,000 bottles made. 13.5% alcohol. $??

2020 Domaine Des Nugues “Les Burdelines” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of boysenberry and blood orange. In the mouth, aromatic herbs and blood orange flavors are wrapped in a fleecy blanket of tannins. Bright acidity keeps things fresh, but the tannins stiffen over time to become more burly as flavors of oak seep in. Slightly brawny. 60-year-old vines. Fermented semi-carbonically in concrete. 50% whole cluster. Aged in demi-muids for 22 months. 3500 bottles made. 14.5% alcohol. $??

2000 Domaine du Granit “La Rochelle” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Light to medium ruby in the glass with a faint haze and hints of orange and coffee, this wine smells of smoked meat and herbs. In the mouth, faintly salty smoked meat and dried herbs mix with road dust and wet stone. Powdery tannins coat the mouth as very good acidity keeps things fresh. This is the first vintage in which the domaine bottled their individual lieu-dits separately. 13% alcohol. $35.

2022 Paul Janin & Fils “Empreinte” Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of floral aromas with blood orange and boysenberry. In the mouth, bright and juicy boysenberry and blood orange flavors are fresh and stony with bright acidity and faint powdery tannins. Notes of dried herbs linger in the finish. Comes from four plots of young vines between 15-30 years of age, on colluvial soils. 13.5% alcohol. $30.