Jean-Etienne Chermette Fleurie Les Deux Granites 2021

Pierre-Marie Chermette and his son Jean-Etienne farm their family estate in the southern Beaujolais region known as Pierres Dorées — golden stones — a domaine taken over in 1982 and now decorated with two stars in the Guide Vert, with the Chermette name long synonymous with some of the most consistently lauded wines in the region. Jean's family history dates back to the seventeenth century, and he benefits from traditional know-how while leveraging modern winemaking techniques to make wines that outshine many of the supposedly nobler crus. Les Deux Granites is a blend of two great granite terroirs, Poncié and Les Garants — vines averaging 55 years of age on diverse granite soils rich in manganese, planted at high density and trained in the traditional gobelet style, vinified with indigenous yeasts in the traditional Beaujolais semi-carbonic method with whole bunches, and aged six to eight months predominantly in foudre with a small proportion in barrel.

An elegant, intense wine, full of roundness and fruit — lovely aromas of plums, raspberries, spices and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, deep and nicely concentrated, with lovely acid, powdery tannins and a penetrating finish. Structured and mineral, with ripe tannins and plenty of potential in its dark fruits — a light perfumed element and acidity giving everything a lift.