Chateau de Grand Pré - Beaujolais Villages, Beaujolais, France (2023)

TASTING NOTES

Pure bubblegum party wine...but with so much more going on. Supple and generous with sweet cherry fruit showing nice almond and iodine detail, as well as lovely chalky texture. 

80 year old vines Gamay macerated (semi-Carbonic) 10 days in concrete tanks and aged 10 months on fine lees in also concrete. 

Romain Zordan began his winemaking journey in 2012 when he inherited half of the family domaine, while the other half went to his cousin, Yan Bertrand. Château de Grand Pré had previously been in the hands of his father, Claude Zordan, who introduced organic practices to the vineyard in 2000. The domaine primarily consists of 6 hectares in Fleurie, with an additional 2 hectares in Morgon.

However, Romain’s winemaking experience began earlier, between 2007 and 2009, when he managed a small domaine in Fleurie using rented grapes, including those from Yvon Métras. After several years of traveling and gaining winemaking experience in Burgundy and abroad, he met Jean-François Ganevat in 2012, who soon became his mentor. Ganevat even purchased finished wines and grapes from Romain when expanding his own range.

Romain is a strong advocate of Jules Chauvet’s philosophy, and this influence is evident in his wines. The grapes are handpicked before undergoing semi-carbonic maceration with whole bunches for 15–20 days at low temperatures. The natural fermentation is left undisturbed, with no remontage or pigeage taking place. Once fermentation is complete, the wines are transferred to 8-year-old barrels or concrete tanks and aged for approximately 8 to 10 months, depending on the cuvée and vintage. Unfiltered and unfined, the finished wines are bottled according to biodynamic principles. Sulphites are used minimally and only when necessary.