Domaine de Colette Beaujolais Villages

Domaine de Colette is located in the
heart of the Crus du Beaujolais, in the charming village of Lantignié,
regarded as the premium village in the cru of Regnié. Run by the humble
Jacky Gauthier, it was founded by his father René.

Jacky studied enology at the tender
age of 17 and immediately started working with his father in the
vineyards, where today he is joined by his son Pierre-Alexandre, whose
invigorating youth and enthusiasm has seen a further move to full
organic practices and adoption of France’s new sustainability
certification in line with their established philosophy of ‘their
terroir as their true wealth’. Their vineyards are home to vines
averaging 45 years of age, but one plot, called Colette, reaches over 80
years, with views from the cellar and reception room nothing short of
exceptional, spanning the rolling Beaujolais vineyards, the Saône
Valley, across to the Alps, with Mont Blanc visible on a clear day!

The vineyards are cultivated using Haute Valeur Environnementale, a
stricter practice than Lutte Raisonnée and very minimal intervention as
Jacky’s approach is ecological. Only organic manure is used as well as
grassing over and shallow ploughing. The soil is granitic and the bush
trained vines average 40 years old. The harvest is all carried out by
hand with yields never exceeding 45 hl per ha.
The hand harvested grapes are sorted on arrival to ensure that only the
best fruit is used. Whole bunches of grapes are then vatted (no
de-stalking or crushing). . Vinification is carried out using the
traditional Beaujolais method of carbonic maceration, resulting in
fruity wines with low levels of supple tannin.