Côte de Brouilly, Beaujolais
Château Thivin
In 1383 the first part of the Château Thivin cellars was built, this is the oldest Côte de Brouilly estate and one of the most highly respected producers in the region. All of Château Thivin’s organically-grown, largely old gamay vines are planted on the (mostly southern) slopes of Mont Brouilly, a small extinct volcano. The mature vines, great sites and endless dedicated work in the vines gives a modest yield of perfectly ripened small bunches. At harvest, these are gently placed into small crates undamaged, then tipped into vats that are closed and sealed when full of complete bunches. The marvelous simplicity of the process continues as the vats are left untouched for 7-10 days, whereupon any fermenting wine, resulting from bunches being squashed under their own weight, is drained out and the remaining whole bunches pressed. The young wine is then rested in large old barrels for 6-12 months before bottling. Such a simple and natural process gives amazing red wines.
After the super dense and voluptuous '22 vintage, Château Thivin has followed up with an exciting range of more classic and refined but still very deep, rich, and nuanced wines with great balance and super freshness. Visiting last year and meeting with the current custodians, Claude-Ed and Sonja Geoffray, Randall toured the slopes, studied the old vines, tasted and talked with Sonja about the vineyard and winemaking changes. Notably, her fine-tunings, and improvements (less whole bunch, a little ceramic egg usage for maturation and more biodiversity in the vines), 1% - 2% chardonnay in each cuvee, gravity transfers. These 2023s can (and will be) enjoyed in their youth; but they have the flesh, density and the structure to make old bones (10-20 years won’t be a problem).
2023 Villages Vignes l’Ecussol
*Screwcap*
Here is an amazingly high quality for a Beaujolais Villages level. Juicy, rich and super fresh with a multitude of berry fruit with hints of floral and mineral notes. The palate, however, has old-school richness. It's from Quincié, just to the NE of Mont Brouilly on a gentle SE slope. It’s darker in 2022 and 2023 than previously, and Sonja says she uses has a higher whole bunch component in contrast to the Cru wines.
“This is the bouncy, stainless steel matured rendering of gamay – built for speed. And yes, still screw cap closure.Joyous stuff, hits the glass with shiny, ruby coloured looks and hits the palate pretty much the same way. Rose hip tea, cranberry drink, tart cherry, white strawberry, a dose of spice and dried herbs, with a big crunch to upfront texture and then a soft, supple finish. Easy drinking personified. Fun.”
92 Points - Mike Bennie, The Winefront
2023 Côte de Brouilly Le Clos
This is usually a little softer than the following cuvees, but this 2023 has lovely firm integrated tannins, seducting rose-petal floral notes, a rich Turkish-delight complexity and vibrant freshness aplenty.
Le Clos is a historic walled vineyard dating back to the 14th century, with its cellar in use as early as 1383. The site features deep topsoil over igneous rock, contributing to wines of depth, structure, and mineral intensity.
“This comes from an ancient walled site adjacent to the Thivin manor house about mid-slope of Mt Brouilly.. It was once a Clos, but now most of the rock wall is gone and in parts ther are fences to keep in the minature sheep. "In foudre, currently with a slight reduction. Slightly more solid pink purple. Plenty of gas, more backward in its development. There is a somewhat pinot style raspberry in the fruit mix, long fine and elegant."
90-91 Points - Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
2023 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie
This very special wine is the pinnacle of Thivin's craft and is built for ageing. The Zaccharie is a selection of the best small batches usually from la Chapelle and some 100yo vines in a plot called Godfroy. It's the only red in the range matured in 228lt barrels (10-15% of which are new) and it's a wine that unfurls over time and has the impressive inner strength to easily live for decades.
The oldest we have tasted was 2003 about 6 years ago, and that looked like a mature burgundy; profound silky and perfumed. This 2023 is the most integrated and classy release we have tasted in our 20 years of importing this wine. There is an exotic Turkish-delight and floral character to the nose, along with graphite / liquorice, abundant red fruits, dark cherry, and spice whilst the palate is a deep reserve of these characteristics with a balanced firmness, finesse and length to burn.
2023 Brouilly Reverdon
Reverdon is a lieu-dit just southwest of Mont Brouilly near the Côte de Brouilly border, grown on granitic soils and prized for its elegance, raciness, and purity.
“This combines the floral aspect of the appellation with dark and wonderful forest-berry fruit on the velvety, medium-bodied palate. The interplay of supple tannins, juicy fruit and moderate acidity makes this hard to resist. Long, cool and elegant finish. From organically grown grapes.”
93 Points - Stuart Pigott, James Suckling
“From a site rooted in sand over pink granite, the 2023 Brouilly Reverdon offers vibrant aromas of crushed violet and peony petals, dark cherries and a touch of chocolate spice. Medium to full-bodied, it features a concentration perfectly balanced for the structure of the wine, offering an infusion of fruit, tangy with acidity. With its pillowy texture supported by talc-like, enveloping tannins, the wine leaves a lasting impression of joy and approachability.”
90 Points - Kenna Wells, Wine Advocate
2023 Côte de Brouilly Les Griottes dans le Brouhlie
This is the most structured wine in the bracket of '23's, and the most structured that we can remember tasting. This south-facing vineyard, established in 1635 on igneous (blue-stone) soils, is renowned for producing wines with dark fruit, cherries, and floral notes of peony. Its long history and sun-soaked exposure contribute to depth, aromatic complexity, and refined power.
“A lovely medium deep purple. Heady ripe cherries and some raspberry, very sensual, with good and indeed welcome acidity, excellent length. Fully ripe but retaining all its energy."
90-92 Points - Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
Each cuvée (bar Zaccharie) spend up to 12 months in these foudres which Sonjay stands before in the cellar.
(Left) The La Chapelle site sits at 50% slope and is populated with 70-80yo bush vines.
(Right) Les Griottes in the autumn
2023 Les Sept Vignes
This, like all the crus, is made using 85% whole bunch, 15% crushed fruit, 1% chardonnay and a small portion of ceramic egg-matured component blended with the 3000lt barrel-aged portion. All the wines are transferred using the natural slope and "stacked" cellars for gravity movements.
“The 2023 Côte de Brouilly Les sept vignes was raised in 40-hectolitre foudres. This has a well-defined, minerally bouquet with pure blackcurrant, raspberry and wild strawberry scents. It becomes more floral with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and cohesive, with higher acidity than you would expect and a pinch of cracked black pepper toward the finish. This is excellent.” 91 Points - Neal Martin, Vinous
“This is like entering a woodland clearing, the floor of which is covered with violets. The juiciness, velvety tannins and elegant acidity create a very satisfying whole on the medium-bodied palate. The fresh and moderately dry finish has good stony minerality and pulls you back for more. From organically grown grapes.” 93 Points - Stuart Pigott, James Suckling
2023 Côte de Brouilly La Chapelle
From 60yo vines, many of them bush-vines, this makes consistently deep and firm wines that never lack ripeness. There is abundant red berry and dark cherry fruit and rose, lilac florals too. The rich palate is a plush feast of fruit and minerality. La Chapelle sits at 450 metres with a steep 50% south-facing slope, its rocky, metamorphic soils imparting a distinctive mineral character. This dramatic site produces some of the Domaine’s most lifted, structured, and age-worthy wines.
“A steep south facing vineyard, at the top of the slope. The deepest ruby of the range tasted. A slightly gravelly nose reminds me of wines made in amphora, though this is (mostly) in foudres. Lots of stones, and higher altitude gives this effect. I like it."
90-92 points - Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy.
