Sebastien Besson ‘Vayolette’ Juliénas Rouge 2021

Location: France, Beaujolais, Juliénas

Winemaker: Sebastien Besson

Grapes: Gamay

Soil: Granite

Winemaking: The grapes bunches remain in a cold room for a night to retain the expressive aromatics before they are placed into concrete vats for natural whole-cluster fermentation with native yeasts. Only one or two pump overs are performed daily for just over two weeks before a gentle pressing off of the skins, and then back into the concrete to finish its fermentation. Then after six months of aging, a small sulfur addition is made before the wine is bottled.

From the Importer Bon Vivant: There is a very exciting renaissance that has been happening in the Beaujolais region of France, and at its core is a new generation of winemakers that have learned everything they know from their progenitors. To pair with that unparalleled guidance, there is a youthful energy and worldly view that is taking the wines and the region to yet again new heights. Sébastien Besson is now the fourth generation of the family to take the helm at Domaine du Penlois, which originated in the 1920's by his great-grandfather Benoît, situated on the small hill called Lancié (nestled in between Morgon, Fleuri, and Moulin-à-Vent). Sébastien's father, Maxence, took over in 1977 and accrued more and more Cru vineyards in the region, giving the Domaine 30 hectares in total. While making sustainably farmed Domaine wines with his father, Sébastien began an eponymous project in 2016. He converted small granite-rich plots on the property to strict organic farming, spanning not only portions of their Village Appellation sites, but parcels of three Crus as well (a total of 7 hectares). With natural fermentations and aging in concrete vats, and a small sulfur addition before bottling, the wines of Sébasten Besson are pure, driven, and remarkable expressions of top Beaujolais.