Chateau des Bachelards Comtesse de Vazeilles Fleurie Le Clos des Bachelards 2019

The aromas leap from the bottle with ethereally floral notes of fresh violets, peonies, and crimson roses. The flavors abound with a surreal mineral note – like the struck flint that is then saturated in a rich berry coulis. The wine is liquid cashmere, with seamless integration of flavors, textures, and acids, all moving in perfect coordination – like a starling murmuration or a school of fish avoiding a predator. Concentration without heaviness, structure without rusticity, the wine is seamlessly elegant, with a palpable purity of power.

Created by the Benedictine monks of Cluny around the year 1100, Château des Bachelards’ vineyards have been long revered by locals, sommeliers, and wine critics alike. Run by the Platet family for over 200 years (from 1793-2007), the estate is now managed by Alexandra de Vazeilles. Alexandra, the Comtesse de Vazeilles, who trained at Chateau Latour before taking on the Domaine, has surpassed even the most rigorous farming traditions upheld by both the Benedictine monks and the Platets, implementing organic and biodynamic techniques on top of next-level additions like agroforestry in the vines, a permaculture vegetable garden, sheep for weed control and fertilization, naturally occurring bees, herbal medicine, horse-drawn soil cultivation, and more. This estate is widely considered to be making the best wines in its long and illustrious history, and let me tell you, as a team with decades of experience in food and wine, this wine is a revelation. No carbonic maceration; this is Burgundian elegance with a Northern Rhone iron fist.

The old vines, massal selection clones, are 60-100+ years old, grown in this singular Clos that the Cluny monks identified as incredibly unique, with its rare blue clays, unique in all of Beaujolais. This sub-layer contributes to the sheer opulence and power of the wine, setting it above all of the estate's other prized holdings. With topsoils formed of black mica, quartz, and feldspar, the minerality of these sloped vineyards is believed to be the driving force for the abundance of high-toned floral notes that the wines of Fleurie exhibit. Situated on the lower midpoints of the hillside slopes, just as the great grand crus of Burgundy, is where Château des Bachelards maintains its status as the “Romanée Conti of Beaujolais.” This Clos stands today as the only monopole in all of Fleurie. The grapes here are harvested by hand in crates, with the winery gravity-fed, and only indigenous yeasts are used for fermentation. The maturing process is incredibly long for Beaujolais, with maturation occurring over 18-20 months.

The wine is extremely limited, and we are proud to have been the first to bring it to the states a few vintages back. This is a wine that will shatter any preconceived notions you may have had regarding Beaujolais, and leave you questioning all that you thought you knew about the world of wine. You can’t find this anywhere in the U.S.A., but being a long-time supporter of this epic producer has its perks! Very, strictly, limited and trust us… this wine is flat-out exceptional!

PAIRING IDEAS: Roast chicken is always a classic with Fleurie, but I already did that for this wine’s baby sister, so let’s switch it up… with this delectable Pumpkin Ravioli. I finished mine with a healthy sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, toasted hazelnuts, watercress, and dots of kale pistou (basically pesto without nuts or cheese). If I may say so…just perfect!

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Gotta hand things off to the smooth vocalizations of Joan Baez with her cover of “Diamonds and Rust”!