Séléné Brouilly, Sylvère Trichard 750ml

Beautiful, granitic Brouilly that, like most wines from the 2020 vintage in Beaujolais, is showing the results of a hot vintage. Here this means plenty of delicious dark fruits – perhaps not with the elegance of cooler years, but more than made up for in sumptuous immediacy and generous depth of flavor.

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It was Sylvère’s uncle who first showed him the ropes in the winery whilst running the family domaine back in 1998, just as he was beginning organic conversion on their four hectares of Gamay and Chardonnay in the Beaujolais commune of Blacé. Sylvère went on to study agriculture before stints working with Dominique Belluard in the Savoie and Jean-Claude Lapalu back home in Beaujolais. He started Séléné in 2012, working loosely with biodynamic principles in mind, in accordance with the lunar calendar; but not pursuing strict certification. Together with his partner Mathilde they grew vegetables on the farm until 2018, when they decided to focus all attention on the vines. Vines here are between 20 to 80 years old and planted on sandy clay soils, with a vein of granite running underneath. Fermenting only with native yeasts, the reds all undergo carbonic maceration. Aging is mostly done in concrete vats, except for his grandmother’s favorite plot- the oldest vines- picked for a cuvée named for her and aged in old barrels.