DOMAINE YOHAN LARDY

Yohan Lardy is one of a new generation of terroir-focused producers in Beaujolais. He is the fifth generation in his family to grow wine in the Beaujolais, but 2012 was the first vintage under his own label. After finishing his studies in Beaune, Yohan spent time working for a biodynamic producer in Chile, before returning to his native Beaujolais. He now owns about 8 ha of vines split between Fleurie, Moulin à Vent, Chenas and Beaujolais-Villages. 
 
Yohan’s experience in Chile encouraged him to adopt a very natural approach to tending his vines. He does all of the back-breaking work of ploughing and harvesting his vineyards by hand. He works organically in his vineyards, plowing in between the rows and vines so herbicides aren’t needed. The balance of biodiversity that he maintains makes using insecticides unnecessary. No sulphur is added during fermentation. He then ages his Cru wines in old Burgundy barrels for 8-10 months. 
His wines are celebrated for a very aromatic, fruit-forward profile, with a complex, terroir-driven character and enjoyably soft tannins.
 
Along with the Moulin-a-Vent ‘Les Michelons,’ Yohan is bottling micro-cuvées from tiny plots in Fleurie, where he lives, Chenas, and Beaujolais-Villages. The Fleurie ‘Les Viviers’ is from 0.5 ha and Yohan makes just under 170 cases. 
The Chenas is from an even smaller 0.22 ha plot that yields very small berried clusters. Then there’s 'The Poppy,' Yohan’s Vin de France Gamay sourced from Beaujolais-Village vines, and a little from Moulin-a-Vent. This is a juicy, fresh wine that absolutely screams gamay and jumps out of the glass aromatically. Yohan’s real treasure is the 1ha Moulin-a-Vent 'Les Michelons' vineyard, and its most profound expression is the cuvée 'Vieilles Vignes de 1903' sourced from the vines planted by the previous owner’s grandfather. This is a Cru Beaujolais for aging as it needs time to integrate all of its powerful structure and dense material. It points to the ultimate truth that beneath Yohan’s boyish energy is a serious and remarkably talented vigneron whose progress will be a great pleasure to follow for many years.
 
If you subscribe to the notion that the wine matches the winemaker, Yohan’s energy and unguarded good-humor will come as no surprise once you’ve tasted his wines. There is tremendous concentration and purity of fruit in the wines as well as great mineral structure. But there is a vivacity and lightness as well, reminiscent of Yohan as he cracks jokes about local eating or his preferences for tasting wines in the open air, on a hilltop over-looking the Beaujolais Crus.

DOMAINE LAFOUGE 

Domaine Lafouge is a family estate in Auxey-Duresses with roots in the village dating back to 1650. Now in its fifth generation, Gilles Lafouge has built the domaine into one of the appellation’s leading producers, with his son Maxime now working alongside him. The estate covers around 12 hectares, predominantly in Auxey-Duresses, with additional holdings in Meursault and Pommard. The domaine produces roughly equal amounts of red and white wine, and after gradually increasing the amount bottled under their own name since the 1980s, today almost the entire production is bottled at the estate.

Gilles farms organically and all of the grapes are harvested by hand regardless of the level of wine. The wines are made with a focus on finesse, freshness and minerality rather than weight. Gilles describes what he looks for as wines with “direction,” a little minerality, aromatic finesse and a touch of citrus. The grapes ferment spontaneously and are raised in barrel, with increasingly precise use of new oak.

The domaine has an extensive range of Auxey-Duresses, including village wines and Premier Crus from Climat du Val, La Chapelle, Les Duresses and Les Ecusseaux. The family owns around 92% of La Chapelle, making it something of a signature vineyard for the estate. They also work with old vines in Les Boutonniers, a 0.8-hectare parcel bordering Meursault, as well as holdings in Meursault including Les Meix Chavaux and the monopole Clos de Rougeot. In Pommard, the domaine produces wines from Les Noizons and Premier Cru Les Grands Epenots.

In recent years, Maxime has brought further precision and energy to the wines. The whites in particular have become increasingly clear and detailed, with more integrated oak, precise acidity and a combination of citrus, chalky texture, salinity and length. At the same time, the wines have retained the substance and immediate charm of Auxey-Duresses. The reds are similarly fine-grained and juicy, showing a level of finesse that challenges the traditional perception of the appellation. Together, Gilles and Maxime have established Lafouge as an important reference point for modern Auxey-Duresses.