Soeur Cadette Julienas 2021

We don’t get a lot of Julienas in the shop — and we definitely don’t sell a lot of cru Beaujolais for under $35. And still, here is Soeur Cadette’s Julienas, a fresh take on Gamay that brings elegance and grace to the typically fun and crunchy style. This bottle will hit you with loads of sunny red fruit, followed by a wave of barely ripe raspberries and that essential black stone minerality.

Valentin Montanet’s family has been estate-bottling their wine in Burgundy since the 1990s. Before that, they were a part of the local co-op. It was something of a power move, to split off and do their own thing. But they believed their organically farmed vineyards would show up best if they weren’t mixed up with grapes from all over the region.

When weather ruined the 2016 Burgundy harvest, Valentin turned disaster into opportunity by acting on a long-held dream: to make Beaujolais. His first vintage with purchased fruit was distinctly Burgundian. Delicious, but of another place. In the last few years, he’s begun to hit the bullseye. The thread of Burgundy is still there, in the graceful quality that permeates this bottle, but it’s all crunch and fruit and minerality. This is definitive Beaujolais.