2022 Pierre-Marie Chermette Saint-Amour Les Champs-Grillés, Beaujolais

The newest star in the Chermette firmament, Pierre-Marie’s Saint-Amour is drawn from a tiny parcel of 50-year-old vines from the Champs-Grillés climat (which itself covers just a total of three hectares). The parcel was offered to Chermette by an old friend who could no longer manage the steep aspect on the Bessay Mountain.

Saint-Amour’s soils include areas of granite and clay-limestone, (and sometimes a mixture of the two). The latter is said to produce lighter, more delicate wines, while Chermette’s vines are rooted in the classic decomposed granite. Along with the old vines, low yields and high, southeast-facing aspect, this begets a surprisingly dark and intense wine combining the dark fruits and structure of this grower’s Moulin-à-Vent with the bodyweight of the Fleurie. Give it air.

A touch more closed on the nose than Chermette’s other Crus, this is nevertheless packed with a load of red berry fruit, a whisper of spice and a gravelly undertone. The palate is compact and vibrant, strewn with vivid red fruit flavour, while the refreshing acidity and piquant tannins provide the tension. It’s going to make a lot of drinkers happy.