Producer
Walled vineyards – clos in French – are a rarity in Beaujolais, so the twelve-hectare Clos des Quatre Vents is truly something special. It was owned by a Doctor Darroze from 1955 to 2005; his wife and children now manage the estate.
Vineyard
The vineyard is situated on a hillside above the Madone, and has thus a remarkable exposure to the sun. Light granite soil is only forty centimetres deep, and lies on top of rock. The seventeen hectares that make up the vineyard are, unusually for Beaujolais, all adjacent. Thanks to the wind that often blows across the site, the harvest is healthy and saved from rot. The vineyard has a large proportion of old vines, some of which are more than a hundred years old.
Winery
Wooden grids are used to avoid pumping over during the wine’s 28-32ºC fermentation. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged in French oak, fifteen percent new, for six to eight months.
