La Soeur Cadette "Juliénas" Beaujolais, France 2022

FROM KERMIT LYNCH

THE WINE: With most of Burgundy ravaged by frost, Valentin looked to the south to purchase grapes in order to supplement what remained of his harvest. This decision also gave him a chance to vinify Beaujolais, an idea he had long entertained, and one that has brought him great joy since he launched the project in 2016.
Now, several years into his Beaujolais venture, Valentin has learned a few tricks about working with Gamay. While his first vintages had a more "Burgundian" personality—elegant, thought-provoking—his latest vintage makes it hard to tell he hasn't been making Beaujolais his whole life. His Juliénas, sourced from an organically farmed vineyard on granite soil, is textbook cru Beaujolais: very aromatic with loads of fresh Gamay fruit, it flows over the palate with a juicy buoyancy that simply makes it hard to resist. 100% Gamay. Vine ages between 30-45 years. Primary fermentation entirely in stainless steel.

THE PRODUCER: They began farming organically in 1999, a particularly bold decision given the physical and financial effort required to do so in an area where most wine is sold in bulk. Unable to fully express themselves as vignerons at the coop and determined to continue working organically, the Montanets finally split off and founded their own label, Domaine de la Cadette, taking their vineyards with them. Their son Valentin joined them in 2010 and now manages the domaine, espousing his parents' philosophy of organic farming and natural vinification to craft refreshing, mineral-driven whites and reds.

The vineyard land sits deep in the Morvan, the great mountain range that runs west by northwest of the famous Côte d’Or. The land here is quite exceptional: the creation of the granite massif of the Morvan has uplifted a marl and limestone strata, revealing fossilized marine deposits. Though Vézelay is a geographic appendage of Chablis, the soils are not exactly the same. Instead of the Kimmerdigian soils, the clays here range from blue and gray to red, sometimes with no clay at all but just shallow limestone. While the climate is slightly cooler than in Chablis, the vines enjoy great sun exposure, lending a balance between generous fruit and deep mineral structure. That the wines from Vézelay have gone largely unnoticed until recently may certainly be attributed to an underwhelming production of forgettable wines; however, Domaine de la Cadette stands proudly as a beacon of change, representing the most sincere expression of their terroirs with grace and integrity.