A wonderful producer, and a fine way to ease myself back into tasting for the year 2021. I’m a firm believer in being very kind to myself, and perhaps, others.
Tight and frisky, sheets of ‘mineral’ stuff, sour cherry, barely ripe strawberry, dried roses, certainly has plenty of tang and energy, an earthy porcini mushroom character, plenty of crunch and energy on a sappy finish of good length. Excellent.
94 points Gary Walsh winefront.com.au
Growing up as the son of Beaujolais’ famous Jean-Paul Thévenet, a member of the notorious 'Gang of Four', Charly learnt the trade at a very young age. Gaining extensive experience helping his father, and working in Marcel Lapierre’s winery, he purchased a parcel of eighty-year-old vines in Régnié, westsouthwest of his hometown of Villié-Morgon. Charly is a quiet, considered man who had firm opinions about Gamay and the region in general. He prefers whole-bunch ferments of ripe, heavily sorted fruit, at a low temperatures, with no filtration. He farms his 3ha vineyard biodynamically, and produces less than 600 cases. These wines have already found significant acclaim since the first vintage in 2007.
Biodynamic farming, late harvesting, gentle macerations and minimal effective sulfur dioxide during élevage in used barrels are the order of the day. The style is elegant and delicate, emphasizing charm and aromatic complexity over brut force, and the wines tend to age gracefully.