Sebastien Besson Chenas 'Les Darroux' 2021 (750 ml)

100% Gamay
Fermentation Concrete, Indigenous yeasts
Aging 12 months
Filter / Fining None
ABV 13%
Farming Methods Organic

The Sébastien Besson Chenas ‘Les Darroux’ comes from the top parcel of Gamay vines that Sébastien tends to. A beautiful plot in the very heart of the Chenas Cru, where the granite is deep and the vines are exposed to southwestern sun. When the grapes come into the winery, they go through full carbonic in whole bunches with their natural yeasts and spend about 20 days fermenting before a gentle pressing. Another ten days pass before the alcoholic ferment is complete, and then the wine rests in old barrique for a full year. Without filtration or fining, the wine is only bottled with a small dose of sulfites (its first and only dose), and leads to a deep and remarkable expression of the Cru and terroir. Earthy and dark brambly fruit layered in with cedar, clove, and mushrooms, backed with great acidity and supple tannins, this wine will age for many years to come. 

There is a very exciting renaissance that has been happening in the Beaujolais region of France, and at its core is a new generation of winemakers that have learned everything they know from their progenitors. To pair with that unparalleled guidance, there is a youthful energy and worldly view that is taking the wines and the region to new heights. Sébastien Besson is now the fourth generation of the family to take the helm at Domaine du Penlois, which originated in the 1920’s by his great-grandfather Benoît, situated on a small hill called Lancié (nestled in between Morgon, Fleurie, and Moulin-à-Vent). Sébastien’s father, Maxence, took over in 1977 and accrued more and more Cru vineyards in the region, giving the Domaine 30 hectares in total. While making the sustainably farmed Domaine wines with his father, Sébastien began an eponymous  project in 2016. He converted small granite-rich plots on the property to strict organic farming, spanning not only portions of their Village Appellation sites, but parcels of three Crus as well (a total of 7 hectares). With natural fermentations and aging in concrete vats, and a small sulfur addition before bottling, the wines of Sébastien Besson are pure, driven, and remarkable expressions of top Beaujolais.

Tech Sheet (2020)