Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu

Beaujolais, France

Jean-Claude Lapalu settled down in Saint-Etienne La Varenne (AOC Brouilly) in 1982. Coming from a family of winemakers, he began by delivering his grapes to the local cooperative and did so until 1995. His vineyard now spans 12 hectares planted in Gamay across the appellations of Beaujolais Villages, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. In the winery, the methods used are dependent on the terroir in question: for some cuvées, the harvest is totally destemmed, others partially, and others not at all. The carbonic and semi-carbonic macerations are long, lasting around twenty days. No additives or yeasts are mixed in, even if the fermentation sometimes has difficulty starting off in the concrete vats and amphora containers. Maturation takes place in vats and/or barrels (with no new wood) for up to 10 months. The wines aren’t filtered, and homeopathic doses of sulphur are added at the point of bottling (around 10mg/L), or not at all if possible.