Ten granite crus, one grape, a natural-wine revolution
The home of Gamay: ten granite crus from the perfumed queen of Fleurie to the age-worthy king of Moulin-a-Vent, reinvented by a Gang of Four natural-wine movement that sparked a global revolution.
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Beaujolais, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The iconic bottles that define Beaujolais.
Producer: domaine-jean-foillard
Jean Foillard's Côte du Py Morgon, made since 1985 with natural yeast and old foudres. The Py hill's manganese-rich volcanic schist delivers dark fruit, iron-mineral precision and real cellaring ability.
Price: EUR 28-45 at retail
Producer: domaine-jean-marc-burgaud
Jean-Marc Burgaud's traditional Côte du Py Morgon, made with large old foudres. Honest clarity on the Py hill's volcanic schist terroir at an accessible price point.
Price: EUR 18-28 at retail
Producer: domaine-mee-godard
Mee Godard's small-production Côte du Py parcellaire: biodynamic, zero sulfur, from the volcanic-schist Py hill. High intensity with a four to twelve year drinking window.
Price: EUR 28-42 at retail
Producer: domaine-marcel-lapierre
Marcel Lapierre's Morgon classique, made since 1981 guided by Jules Chauvet. The template for low-sulfur, whole-cluster Gamay that shaped a generation of Beaujolais producers.
Price: EUR 20-30 at retail
Producer: domaine-yvon-metras
Yvon Metras farms old-vine Gamay on Fleurie's pink granite with uncompromising natural approach: zero sulfur, wild yeast, old foudres. Aromatically precise and widely sought after.
Price: EUR 28-45 at retail
Producer: domaine-chignard
Michel Chignard's Les Moriers, first bottled in 1978 from pink granite Fleurie soils. Perfumed, classically structured Gamay with a three to ten year drinking window.
Price: EUR 18-28 at retail
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Beaujolais.
One of Chénas's small number of independent producers working the smallest of the ten crus, producing powerful, spicy Gamay from granite and sand soils bordering Moulin-a-Vent.
Saint-Amour estate producing fragrant, cherry-forward Gamay from the northernmost cru, a favourite on Valentines Day menus for its evocative name and approachable style.
Brouilly estate in Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne, one of the six communes of the Brouilly AOC (granted 1938, around 1300 hectares). Produces round, fruit-expressive Gamay from the gently sloping granite terrain of Brouilly.
Brouilly estate in the commune of Saint-Lager, one of the six communes making up the largest of the Beaujolais crus. Produces ripe, generous Gamay from sandy granite.
Morgon estate and spiritual home of the natural Beaujolais movement, producing whole-cluster Gamay with minimal sulfur following Jules Chauvet's method. Marcel died in 2010; the domaine continues.
Signature: lapierre-morgon, lapierre-raisins-gaulois
Morgon estate anchored on the Cote du Py lieu-dit, a Gang of Four natural pioneer. Jean Foillard studied under Jules Chauvet and has farmed organically for decades.
Signature: foillard-morgon-cote-du-py, foillard-morgon-eponym
Schist hillsides and the Cote du Py volcanic rise, where natural winemakers transformed a humble cru into a global touchstone for low-intervention Gamay.
A single ridge of blue volcanic schist and iron-rich soils where Gamay takes on a power and mineral weight unlike anywhere else in Beaujolais.
A hilltop village crowned with a small chapel, surrounded by granite slopes that produce the most perfumed and delicate Gamay in Beaujolais.
Granite slopes threaded with manganese and centred on a solitary 15th-century windmill, producing the most structured and cellar-worthy Gamay in the region.
The most northerly cru, where Saone-et-Loire sandy granite produces the lightest and most aromatic Gamay with a name that makes it a Valentine's Day favourite.
A handsome hillside village and one of the four original crus, producing spiced and structured Gamay from granite and schist on the Saone-et-Loire border.
Peak wine-travel season in Beaujolais is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
If you only open one bottle, open Morgon Côte du Py by domaine-jean-foillard. It is the wine most associated with Beaujolais.