Joseph Drouhin Fleurie

Founded in 1880 by Joseph Drouhin and now stewarded by the fourth generation under winemaker Véronique Boss-Drouhin, the house built its reputation on a single conviction: terroir transparency over extraction. That philosophy extends to this Fleurie, one of the few Beaujolais crus in the Drouhin portfolio — a deliberate outlier in a range otherwise restricted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Fleurie sits on decomposed granite soils in the northern Beaujolais crus, where shallow, sandy granite over bedrock forces Gamay roots deep, producing wines of notable lift and floral precision rather than the plush fruit weight of clay-dominant southern crus. Drouhin's vinification follows the house red protocol: fermentation with indigenous yeasts in small open vats with pigeage, followed by élevage in French high-forest oak at village-level proportions (15–25% new oak), integrating structure without masking the granite's characteristic mineral tension. The special feature here is categorical: Gamay is the sole exception to Drouhin's Pinot Noir/Chardonnay-only rule, making this Fleurie a genuine anomaly within the portfolio. The 2018 vintage delivered excellent phenolic maturity with increased whole-cluster vinification across the range; expect a wine of aromatic intensity and supple grip, drinking well now through 2026.