Half Bottles: Beaujolais Villages Les Verseaux 2022 Chateau de Vaux

Situated on the south side of the village, the lieu-dit of ‘les Verseaux’ is on a steep, south-facing granitic hillside. The name is likely to come from the fact that ’les Verseaux’ faces towards the river Saône (eaux) and sees many hours of sunshine exposure. The de Vermonts own just under a hectare of 40-50 year-old vines, where yields hover around the 40hl./ha. level. The grapes were hand-harvested and sorted on a table de triage, on arrival in the winery, with 50% being de-stemmed. Fermentation was in traditional cement vats for about ten days and then the grapes were-gently pressed and left to finish their malolactic fermentation. Bottling took place in March, 2023.

The 2022 vintage in the Beaujolais region was exceptional and in quality and this class act reflects this, with its rich, intense blackberry fruit, with notes of pepper and peony on the bouquet. A Beaujolais-Villages in name but really a ‘cru’ Beaujolais in nature and stature.