Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly ‘L’Heronde’ 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Brouilly is the southern most of the Cru du Beaujolais. Château Thivin The Côte de Brouilly was recognised as a great site and was planted by the Romans. It is the oldest Beaujolais vineyard. In 1383 the first part of the Château Thivin cellars was built, this is the oldest Cote de Brouilly estate and one of the most highly respected producers in the region. All of Château Thivin’s organically-grown, largely old gamay vines are planted on the (mostly southern) slopes of Mont Brouilly, a small extinct volcano. The mature vines, great sites and endless dedicated work in the vines gives a modest yield of perfectly ripened small bunches. At harvest, these are gently placed into small crates undamaged, then tipped into vats that are closed and sealed when full of complete bunches. The marvellous simplicity of the process continues as the vats are left untouched for 7-10 days, whereupon any fermenting wine, resulting from bunches being squashed under their own weight, is drained out and the remaining whole bunches pressed. The young wine is then rested in large old barrels for 6-12 months before bottling. Such a simple and natural process gives amazing red wines.

The Appelations

There are 3 classification in Beaujolais.

1. Beaujolais – Generic Beaujolais. much of this goes into Beaujolais Nouveau.
2. Beaujolais Village – The mid-Tier split between a portion of Beaujolais Nouveau and more serious wine released the following year.
3. Beaujolais Cru – The best gear we like to play with. There are 10 Cru’s.

Thivin’s vineyards are based around the Cru’s of Côte des Brouilly.

The 2018 Vintage

Thoughts from Danial Bouland on the vintage apply equally to the wines of Thivin.

Even a grower as self-deprecating as Daniel Bouland is having a problem finding fault with his 2018 wines. He is trying, but in the face of such deliciousness it’s all a bit futile. In vino veritas, Daniel, in vino veritas. 2018 has got most in Beaujolais hot under the collar. With two tricky (and low-yielding) years now in the past, 2018 is being billed as a great vintage by those in the know, with a combination of warm weather, sunshine, and just enough rain to keep the vines active, all combining to produce a near-perfect season. The cellars are full and the smiles are plentiful. Yet, while there’s going to be some serious fruit bombs dropping from certain Crus, Bouland’s wines, especially the Morgons, reveal a wonderful balance between deep, dramatic fruit, lacy structures and vivid brightness.