The Gamay Noir for the Clos de Londres is sourced from a very specific clos of .56 hectares (1.38 acres) facing the Château. This special microclimate was identified 250 years ago by Madame Philiberte Pommier as exceptional, producing long-lived wines with distinctive characteristics. The weathered granite soils are sandy and thin, enriched by mineral nutrients within a granite bedrock with seams of manganese, copper, iron and other metallic oxides. The region’s frequently blowing winds have a positive effect on the maturity and concentration of the grapes.
100% destemmed; pumping-over during cold pre-fermentation soak and at the end of fermentation to increase roundness and finesse. The cap was punched down at the beginning of fermentation followed by 21 days extraction to bring out the full potential of the terroirs. A year in barrel, 20% new wood, medium toast, French oak from the Allier and Vosges forests. Taransaud and François Frères, to bring out the wine’s signature aromas and tannins. Four months in stainless steel.
Deep crimson. Power and depth but very smooth and full in the mouth. Rich and dense and savoury but with beautifully fine fruit. Dark and quite closed but deep and promising. More silky than you’d expect in this young wine. Elegant and sophisticated. Juicy and finely balanced.
17.4 points, JancisRobinson.com (February 2016)
Aromas of bark, dark berries and black tea follow through to a full body. The palate has a soft and round texture with chocolate, meat and leather. Shows its age.
90 points, JamesSuckling.com (February 2018)
The 2014 Moulin A Vent Clos de Londres is another micro-cuvée that comes from a parcel just outside the château and for that reason the Parinet family believe that the previous owners paid a lot of attention to it. It was bottled in December 2015. It has an attractive bouquet with raspberry coulis, wild strawberry and bilberry that is well defined and seems to gain intensity in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp, slightly chalky tannin. This seems fresh and tensile, displays a light oyster shell note towards the finish that lingers in the mouth. You have the feeling that this will have more to give with 2-3 years in bottle and it is an exquisite take on Moulin-à-Vent that will give a decade's worth of drinking pleasure.
92 points, Wine Advocate (August 2016)
“Today, after a period of being the pariahs of the wine world, they are once again worthy objects of interest for serious wine lovers. This is all due to the magic combination of the Gamay grape and the particular characteristics of the best villages in the region, including the famous ‘crus’ Beaujolais.” Jancis Robinson MW
The most full bodied and powerful wines in Beaujolais, the region can also create the longest-lasting examples. Because of their richness and structure the wine can support the use of oak which adds more tannin and structure to the wines. The term, “Vieillie en fût de chêne', generally indicated this practice… and price point.
