Domaine des Chopins Beaujolais Villages Rouge 2022
Location: France, Beaujolais
Winemaker: Germain Santailler
Soil: Granite
Winemaking: 8-day carbonic maceration, aged in large oak, no fining or filtering, 10mg/L at bottling, none remaining
Beaujolais Villages: “An expression of Beaujolais-Villages that truly has us on our feet. A ripeness reminiscent of freshly-picked raspberries from your favorite bush, but with elegance and balance oft thought reserved for cru-level wines. Eight-day carbonic maceration, followed by aging in large neutral oak. Pristine and bright, a prime example of Germain’s deftness and youthful expertise.”- Super Glou
From us at M&L: Ever noticed that most bars-tabacs have no stools? “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” says Germain Santailler, the young, talented vigneron of Domaine des Chopins. This is classic, several-little-glasses-of-Beaujolais-at-lunch-wine that leaves you energized for the rest of the day.
Germain was left with 5 hectares in Marchampt when his father, a grower, passed away in 2019. With the help of family friend and mentor, Jean-Claude Lapalu, Germain began with committing one of those hectares to producing his own wine.
The vineyards here, west of Brouilly, are some of the steepest in Beaujolais, and the payoff is wines that showcase poise and balance and with plenty of nervy, herbal fruits.
It’s not every day one can get in on the ground floor (this is Germain’s 1st vintage!) with such a promising young winemaker. We are excited to have his Beaujolais Village 2021 up on our shelves now!
From the Importer Super Glou: “There are wines to be drunk sitting down and there are wines to be drunk standing up,” Germain Santailler is telling us. “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” — that’s to say, wines that aren’t so muscular or “costaud” that they knock you over and make you lose your balance but, rather, wines that are light, fresh and full of nuance.
Perched on the southern tip of Beaujolais in the village of Marchampt within the lieu-dit Les Chopins, this bright-eyed disciple of Jean-Claude Lapalu is wise beyond his years, with a calming, humble confidence that belies his young age.
When Germain suddenly inherited his father’s five hectares of vines at the age of nineteen, Jean-Claude, a family friend, swooped in to lend his expertise, and Germain jumped at the opportunity to learn from one of the greats. (The first time he tasted one of Jean-Claude’s wines, it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.) It’s a symbiotic relationship— Jean-Claude buys grapes from Germain and also lends him a hand in the cellar when it comes time for crucial decisions such as blending. In this sense, Jean-Claude is also helping to secure the legacy of the domaine that belonged to Germain’s late father, who was one of his dear friends.
It’s a heartwarming story, and all certainly seems fine and well in this magnificent corner of Beaujolais, where the slopes pitch at a stunning degree; Germain notes that they are among the steepest in the entire region. It feels like an expedition just to try and keep up as he sprints joyfully up ahead into his vines, granite crumbling underfoot. He is immensely proud of the single hectare that he’s cultivating for his own wines and wastes no time in showing us.
Eventually, Germain hopes to convert the entire domaine into single parcels he will vinify. At the moment, he is starting with a Villages and also a single parcel which he has named for the sun-drenched stretch on which we’re now standing, panting after a long climb: Le Desert.
Back at the cellar, Germain offers us some water (thankfully) and then his wines: shimmering, thirst-quenching, like a mirage. Despite his aversion to strong, muscular wines, Germain’s own bottles display a certain type of athleticism. They are lithe and supple, working their way around your tongue before ending in a long, graceful finish. A taster among us notices “a pear drop candy note you get from the carbonic that makes you want to drink the whole bottle.” Santé !
Location: France, Beaujolais
Winemaker: Germain Santailler
Soil: Granite
Winemaking: 8-day carbonic maceration, aged in large oak, no fining or filtering, 10mg/L at bottling, none remaining
Beaujolais Villages: “An expression of Beaujolais-Villages that truly has us on our feet. A ripeness reminiscent of freshly-picked raspberries from your favorite bush, but with elegance and balance oft thought reserved for cru-level wines. Eight-day carbonic maceration, followed by aging in large neutral oak. Pristine and bright, a prime example of Germain’s deftness and youthful expertise.”- Super Glou
From us at M&L: Ever noticed that most bars-tabacs have no stools? “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” says Germain Santailler, the young, talented vigneron of Domaine des Chopins. This is classic, several-little-glasses-of-Beaujolais-at-lunch-wine that leaves you energized for the rest of the day.
Germain was left with 5 hectares in Marchampt when his father, a grower, passed away in 2019. With the help of family friend and mentor, Jean-Claude Lapalu, Germain began with committing one of those hectares to producing his own wine.
The vineyards here, west of Brouilly, are some of the steepest in Beaujolais, and the payoff is wines that showcase poise and balance and with plenty of nervy, herbal fruits.
It’s not every day one can get in on the ground floor (this is Germain’s 1st vintage!) with such a promising young winemaker. We are excited to have his Beaujolais Village 2021 up on our shelves now!
From the Importer Super Glou: “There are wines to be drunk sitting down and there are wines to be drunk standing up,” Germain Santailler is telling us. “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” — that’s to say, wines that aren’t so muscular or “costaud” that they knock you over and make you lose your balance but, rather, wines that are light, fresh and full of nuance.
Perched on the southern tip of Beaujolais in the village of Marchampt within the lieu-dit Les Chopins, this bright-eyed disciple of Jean-Claude Lapalu is wise beyond his years, with a calming, humble confidence that belies his young age.
When Germain suddenly inherited his father’s five hectares of vines at the age of nineteen, Jean-Claude, a family friend, swooped in to lend his expertise, and Germain jumped at the opportunity to learn from one of the greats. (The first time he tasted one of Jean-Claude’s wines, it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.) It’s a symbiotic relationship— Jean-Claude buys grapes from Germain and also lends him a hand in the cellar when it comes time for crucial decisions such as blending. In this sense, Jean-Claude is also helping to secure the legacy of the domaine that belonged to Germain’s late father, who was one of his dear friends.
It’s a heartwarming story, and all certainly seems fine and well in this magnificent corner of Beaujolais, where the slopes pitch at a stunning degree; Germain notes that they are among the steepest in the entire region. It feels like an expedition just to try and keep up as he sprints joyfully up ahead into his vines, granite crumbling underfoot. He is immensely proud of the single hectare that he’s cultivating for his own wines and wastes no time in showing us.
Eventually, Germain hopes to convert the entire domaine into single parcels he will vinify. At the moment, he is starting with a Villages and also a single parcel which he has named for the sun-drenched stretch on which we’re now standing, panting after a long climb: Le Desert.
Back at the cellar, Germain offers us some water (thankfully) and then his wines: shimmering, thirst-quenching, like a mirage. Despite his aversion to strong, muscular wines, Germain’s own bottles display a certain type of athleticism. They are lithe and supple, working their way around your tongue before ending in a long, graceful finish. A taster among us notices “a pear drop candy note you get from the carbonic that makes you want to drink the whole bottle.” Santé !
Location: France, Beaujolais
Winemaker: Germain Santailler
Soil: Granite
Winemaking: 8-day carbonic maceration, aged in large oak, no fining or filtering, 10mg/L at bottling, none remaining
Beaujolais Villages: “An expression of Beaujolais-Villages that truly has us on our feet. A ripeness reminiscent of freshly-picked raspberries from your favorite bush, but with elegance and balance oft thought reserved for cru-level wines. Eight-day carbonic maceration, followed by aging in large neutral oak. Pristine and bright, a prime example of Germain’s deftness and youthful expertise.”- Super Glou
From us at M&L: Ever noticed that most bars-tabacs have no stools? “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” says Germain Santailler, the young, talented vigneron of Domaine des Chopins. This is classic, several-little-glasses-of-Beaujolais-at-lunch-wine that leaves you energized for the rest of the day.
Germain was left with 5 hectares in Marchampt when his father, a grower, passed away in 2019. With the help of family friend and mentor, Jean-Claude Lapalu, Germain began with committing one of those hectares to producing his own wine.
The vineyards here, west of Brouilly, are some of the steepest in Beaujolais, and the payoff is wines that showcase poise and balance and with plenty of nervy, herbal fruits.
It’s not every day one can get in on the ground floor (this is Germain’s 1st vintage!) with such a promising young winemaker. We are excited to have his Beaujolais Village 2021 up on our shelves now!
From the Importer Super Glou: “There are wines to be drunk sitting down and there are wines to be drunk standing up,” Germain Santailler is telling us. “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” — that’s to say, wines that aren’t so muscular or “costaud” that they knock you over and make you lose your balance but, rather, wines that are light, fresh and full of nuance.
Perched on the southern tip of Beaujolais in the village of Marchampt within the lieu-dit Les Chopins, this bright-eyed disciple of Jean-Claude Lapalu is wise beyond his years, with a calming, humble confidence that belies his young age.
When Germain suddenly inherited his father’s five hectares of vines at the age of nineteen, Jean-Claude, a family friend, swooped in to lend his expertise, and Germain jumped at the opportunity to learn from one of the greats. (The first time he tasted one of Jean-Claude’s wines, it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.) It’s a symbiotic relationship— Jean-Claude buys grapes from Germain and also lends him a hand in the cellar when it comes time for crucial decisions such as blending. In this sense, Jean-Claude is also helping to secure the legacy of the domaine that belonged to Germain’s late father, who was one of his dear friends.
It’s a heartwarming story, and all certainly seems fine and well in this magnificent corner of Beaujolais, where the slopes pitch at a stunning degree; Germain notes that they are among the steepest in the entire region. It feels like an expedition just to try and keep up as he sprints joyfully up ahead into his vines, granite crumbling underfoot. He is immensely proud of the single hectare that he’s cultivating for his own wines and wastes no time in showing us.
Eventually, Germain hopes to convert the entire domaine into single parcels he will vinify. At the moment, he is starting with a Villages and also a single parcel which he has named for the sun-drenched stretch on which we’re now standing, panting after a long climb: Le Desert.
Back at the cellar, Germain offers us some water (thankfully) and then his wines: shimmering, thirst-quenching, like a mirage. Despite his aversion to strong, muscular wines, Germain’s own bottles display a certain type of athleticism. They are lithe and supple, working their way around your tongue before ending in a long, graceful finish. A taster among us notices “a pear drop candy note you get from the carbonic that makes you want to drink the whole bottle.” Santé !