Domaine Les Roches Bleues, Brouilly, Le Cru du Volcan 2019
This delight, grown on the bluey-purple soils of Mont Brouilly, is a stunner. Raspberry acidity is matched with a distinctive savoury, earthy edge reminiscent of good Cabernet Franc.
Grape: 100% Gamay
Alcohol: 13%
Production
The old, short, goblet-trained vines growing in this favoured corner of Brouilly sit on bluey-purple layers of manganese soil ('Les Roches Bleues') under the 1585-foot Mont Brouilly. The summit of Brouilly has also been a place of worship since 1857, when a chapel was built for the protection of the vines from oidium (mildew). This wine was crafted from a parcel of vines in a single domaine near the summit of this long-extinct volcano (hence Volcan in the name of the wine). Grapes are hand-picked and whole-berry fermented for 5-8 days (maceration carbonique) followed by a further 2 or 3 days on the skins in order to keep plenty of aromatic young fruit whilst adding a touch of subtle tannin to give greater weight.
Tasting Notes
Plums, raspberries and violets on the nose with an earthy, mildly sticky, sappy tannin profile. Fresh and fruity but with a distinctive savoury edge.
Food Match
Served at room temperature, it is ideal with 'pepposo' (a peppery italian beef stew), a peppered steak or, for a simple lunch, a pastrami on rye sandwich.