2021 Brouilly, Reverdon, Château Thivin, Beaujolais

The 2021 Brouilly Reverdon comes from pink granite soils on east-facing slopes. It is fermented in cement vats for around 12 days. It offers fresh, brambly red fruit on the nose, then hints of sous-bois and bay leaf once it shakes off a bit of reduction. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins. A nimble Brouilly without airs and graces and all the better for it. Real character here.

Drink 2023 - 2030

Offering up aromas of smoky berries, peonies and forest floor, the 2021 Brouilly Reverdon is medium-bodied, supple and polished, with lively acids and a seamless, nicely balanced profile.

As I've written before, this historic estate continues to rank among the reference points for classical, age-worthy cru Beaujolais. The Geoffray family have banished herbicides and insecticides from their vineyards and number among the appellation's most conscientious farmers, working toward organic certification something they've already attained for several cuvées, as indicated in the tasting notes). 

In the cellar, winemaking is traditional, with semi-carbonic maceration and élevage generally in foudre—though some small cuvées see a little new wood. A staple of France's best restaurants—and this writer's table—any readers who are not acquainted with these wines are warmly advised to seek them out. Despite the challenges of frost, disease and rain, the 2021s have turned out very well and mark a return to a cooler, crunchier style of Beaujolais that we haven't seen for several years.

Drink 2021 - 2030

I love the nose of sour cherries, ripe strawberries, and a touch of fresh garden herbs. Only medium-bodied but with good concentration and elegant tannins, this is surprisingly long and spicy at the finish for this vintage. It was made from vineyards on shallow granitic soil in a site with plenty of wind. It was matured in concrete tanks for about eight months before bottling.

Drink or hold