Aurélien Burgaud 'Grignette' Beaujolais-Villages AOC 2022

Aurelien Burgaud may describe his winemaking career as a happy accident. Following a career as a mathematician, he stumbled into Beaujolais in 2016, learning the ropes at Thivin. In 2020, he realized that a small parcel he had picked up next to an old chateau was yielding more grapes than he anticipated. With just a little over a hectare in the Pigeon Tower Parcel, vines are approximately 40-45 year old clones on one side with 12-15 bunches per vine. Hyped at the opportunity to make wine more authentically and naturally, with just a pike in hand, he began his own operation that vintage. In this parcel, there are old vines so he works gently, with just a pulley or horse. Vinifying out of the Ducroux cave, his wines burst with life, perhaps a reflection of his own youth and vivacity, offering a breath of fresh air from the old guard. Playful and nostalgic, like a raspberry Go-Gurt, this is an anti-carbonic gamay that’s more Morgon-like than Nouveau in style. With a thirteen-day maceration, the wine is tannic and delightfully bitter, balanced by a candied cherry Jolly Rancher/brambly Twizzler pop of brightness. Organically grown.