Grand’Cour ‘Chapelle des Bois’ 2023

One of Fleurie's oldest estates, Domaine de la Grand’Cour was acquired by Jean Dutraive in 1969 and subsequently developed by his son Jean-Louis, who took over in 1989. Today, Ophélie and Lucas Dutraive are increasingly responsible for the estate's wines, continuing the family's longstanding commitment to organic viticulture and traditional Beaujolais vinification. Chapelle des Bois is a lieu-dit in southern Fleurie, where the domaine cultivates 1.8 hectares of Gamay on northwest-facing slopes at approximately 250–300 metres elevation. The sandy topsoil becomes progressively deeper towards the foot of the hillside, overlying granitic bedrock. The vines average around thirty years of age, with yields of just 27 hl/ha in 2023. The grapes were harvested by hand and fermented as whole bunches in concrete tanks using indigenous yeasts and carbonic maceration, before seven months of maturation in large oak demi-muids. The wine offers aromas of cranberry, red cherry and delicate spice, accompanied by dried rose petals and peony. Medium-bodied and finely structured, it combines supple red fruit with ripe acidity, subtle tannins and a gently saline finish. An elegant expression of Fleurie, with considerable aromatic detail and the capacity to develop further in bottle.