Arnaud Combier Beaujolais-Villages 'Premieres Gouttes'
Save $5.00 (20%)
Today Beaujolais needs to be taken seriously. We've stated this before: several young, talented producers from this region are making wines that can compete with any made anywhere. Case in point: Arnaud Combier.
With an impressive background, including his role in transitioning Louis Jadot's vineyards at Chateau des Jacques to organic farming, Arnaud has worked with some of the best growers across Burgundy, from the Mâconnais to Chablis.
It's worth noting that our initial interest in these wines was sparked by his collaboration with the legendary François de Nicolay of Chandon de Briailles (Santenay) and, a shop favorite producer, Jeff Carrel. However, Arnaud's wines desrve to be evaluated on their own merits. And, after tasting this in the context of other more costly wines, we all agreed, this Beaujolais-Villages is simply outstanding. Period.
The Premières Gouttes (or "first drops") comes from 5 hectares of vineyards in the commune of Lanciè which sits just southeast of Fleurie and Chiroubles. The vines (100% Gamay) range from 10+ to over 60 years old and all are grown organically. The grapes are harvested by hand and the vines yield ONLY 1.47 tons per acre (to put it in perspective, the typical wine grape yield is twice that much, at a minimum).
The Premières Gouttes is produced through whole-cluster fermentation on native yeasts and utilizes semi-carbonic maceration. There are no additives, enzymes or sulfites included in the vinification. The resulting wine is incredibly fresh and expressive with a pop of ripe red berry, pepper and juniper. The finish is spicy and long.