[TN] '05 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie

Thanks Mark, I need to lay in some bojos, and quality isn't what it used to be at some of my old addresses. If the price is right I'll try Coudert.

-E

Here's more info from my supplier:

"The 9ha of Clos de la Roilette vineyards lay on the best slopes of the Beaujolais Cru, Fleurie, bordering fellow Cru, Moulin-a-Vent. In the 1920's, the original landowner was left enraged when his land lost the well-known Moulin-a-Vent title, to the creation of the Fleurie designation. He vowed to never sell a drop of his wine to the French market so instead, exported all of his production to Switzerland, Germany and England. He refused to accept the Fleurie name and instead called his wine "Clos de la Roilette" featuring a picture of his racehorse on the label. The land was abandoned for nearly a decade when Fernand Coudert replanted and resurrected the vineyards in 1967. His son Alain joined him in 1984 and has been the winemaker ever since. Behind the "horse label" lays a wine that is incredibly complex and structured with great capacity to age; although, if eager, the wine does offer up early appeal with fresh, ample fruit and a sturdy backbone."

Graham

Yes, Graham, that story is known to me and the wine certainly lends credence to the M-a-V claim. Those in the know say that the soil of Coudert's vineyards is much more in keeping with the soils of M-a-V rather than those of Fleurie. OTOH, certainly other Fleuries, most notably those produced by JP Brun, are also rather dark-complected, so perhaps vinification plays as large a role as terroir in the differences seen in that Cru.

Mark Lipton