Fleurie Vieille Vignes Climat Champagne Dutraive 2022

We are in one of the oldest vineyards of Fleurie, at the doors of Burgundy. Jean-Louis Dutraive has always been a devoted to organic viticulture and his property has been certified by ECOCERT since 2009, although he has been growing in organic farming since the first beginning.

The grapes are harvested manually and the grapes are immediately placed in a low temperature tank to start carbonic maceration. The wines ferment naturally with indigenous yeasts and the maceration on the skins ranges from 15 to 30 days depending on the vintage and the type of wine. The wines are aged in the cellar for 6 to 15 months, depending on the type.

The refinement is sometimes in burgundian barrels, although Fleurie Grande Cour, Fleurie Chapelle des Bois and Brouilly mostly refine in old barrels or concrete tanks, depending on the vintage. Only when needed, a small amount of SO2 is added, but in general the trend is to do a good job before and avoid adding, clarifying and filtering as much as possible.

Jean-Louis Dutraive wines are some of the most singular and aromatic in the area. Just poured, a few laps in the glass and the wines immediately show a floral aroma and a spice, almost exotic, blended with the minerality typical of Gamay. Its wines overcome the balance between structure and exuberance: they are joyful, fresh wines with a nice acidity, to drink immediately for their pleasantness, but at the same time allow them to let them even age 10-12 years without some problem.

Jean-Louis Dutraive deserves the place at the top of the ranking in Fleurie!