Beaujolais

Beaujolais is situated directly south of the Mâconnais along the Saône River. Beaujolais is somewhat warmer than Burgundy and begins to see more moderation in the continental climate because of the influence of the Mediterranean coming up the Rhône Valley. The most significant difference in terroir between Beaujolais and Burgundy, however, is in the soils; Beaujolais has granitic soils that are ideal for Gamay, rather than the limestone that defines Burgundy.

Gamay comprises about 95% of Beaujolais’ grapevines. The rest is Pinot Noir, with some plantings of Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Sauvignon Blanc.

There are ten ‘crus’ in Beaujolais – St. Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Fleurie, Moulin à Vent, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly in addition to the Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais AOC.

The Gang of Four: A movement in natural wines advocating for farming practices that avoided the usage of pesticides started with Jules Chavet, a négociant in the area, who argued that insecticides sprayed during WWII were harmful to terroir. Chavet’s work influenced a group of winemakers in Beaujolais, dubbed ‘The Gang of Four’ – Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton. Their concern was for environmental impact, as well as the commodification of wine when made in an overly commercialized way. Their practices and low-intervention winemaking have gone on to influence many winemakers of the area and their wines are highly sought after.