Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie ‘l’Alchimiste’ 2019 - $36.99
STORY
A Champagne native, Anne-Sophie Dubois made her home in the village of Fleurie by way of Volnay. Beaujolais is in many ways a doorway of opportunity for young winemakers who can’t afford the astronomical prices of vineyards in the other major viticultural areas of France. Here there are many old vine vineyards quietly waiting to be revived. After falling in love with Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais) she decided to make her home here, and has quickly become one of the names to know, not only for the quality of her wines, but also her rejection of carbonic maceration – a winemaking process that almost defines the region.
HOW TO
All of the classic components of a well-made Fleurie are here, it is highly aromatic, has a mineral core, and the characteristic dark crunchy fruit, but this celebrates more of the earth than just a straightforward fruit-laden quaffer. Her fondness for seriously classic Red Burgundies is evident in her approach to winemaking. Eschewing the traditional whole cluster and semi-carbonic fermentations of the region, she opts instead to de-stem her Gamay and employ a traditional Burgundian fermentation. L’Alchimiste is a co-fermented blend from all of her vines, and then receives an extended maceration period giving it a stern and serious structure. Named after the Paulo Coelho novel about learning the lessons of life along the path of ambition - we are excited to see what the future holds for this incredibly talented winemaker.
TUNES FOR YOUR JUICE
by Liza Morgioni
Pynk- Janelle Monae feat. Grimes
Fleurie is known as “The Queen” of the ten Beaujolais crus, essentially sitting on a throne with its vineyards planted on the slopes of a hillside, at the highest altitude in the region. These vines are even planted in pink granite soil, unique to Beaujolais and lending to its elegance in the bottle, and noticeably more aromatic than the Moulin a Vent.
Anne-Sophie Dubois is one of the brightest young producers in the region, and her level of devotion to terroir and biodynamics is exemplary. She plants grass between vines to ensure healthier soil through biodiversity, never uses synthetic fertilizer, and applies compost as needed. Let’s hear it for this talented woman creating excellent wine in the “queen” of crus!! The song Pynk celebrates femininity and emphasizes women appreciating themselves and each other. It’s a poppy but serious song that highlights women and their autonomy, while having an airy, playful sound. Janelle Monae describes it as a “brash celebration of creation and self love”, and says that “pynk” is the color of the future. Especially considering those pink granite soils of Fleurie, I figured it was appropriate.