Burgundian Louis Boillot was not looking to expand outside the Côte d’Or, but when he saw the quality of old-vine terroir available in Beaujolais, he found it ‘irresistible’; he told me he chose Moulin-à-Vent over any other Beaujolais village because the terroirs here are closer to those of the Côte d’Or. Louis’ son Clément is now increasingly involved in managing the domaine (and Clément is also increasingly involved in managing his mother Ghislaine Barthod’s domaine, as well). The decision to acquire a Fleurie vineyard was very much Clément’s, when he came across a plot for sale he thought they couldn’t say ‘no’ to.

While in their Côte d’Or wines the Boillots destem everything, in a nod to Beaujolais tradition and practice they use some whole bunches in their Moulin-à-Vent and Fleurie fermentations. Finely-made, ageworthy, single-vineyard cru Beaujolais. (NT 30/08/23)