Tasted in Vauxrenard with Yvon Metras, 23 February 2017.

Domaine Yvon Metras
Bizes
69820 Vauxrenard
Tel: +33 4 74 60 03 47

Vauxrenard seems in a mini ‘land that time forgot’ in the hills above and behind Fleurie – though it’s only 5 or 6 minutes from Fleurie centre. Yvon was just back from a sales trip in Japan – I found him a super-engaging character and somebody with such knowledge of the well-known producers of Beaujolais – though it starts differently: “You’re who? You’re dong what?” But 90 minutes later I’m struggling not to be too late for my next appointment – and we’ve only tasted three wines!

I asked Yvon about his location – “It’s a little paradise on the hills. The domaine is complicated, the domaine is not really here. I bought this place 5-6 years ago, previously the family were in Fleurie, and also in Romanèche-Thorins, I still vinify in Fleurie, here is a little elevage and sales. Bizes is an old French name for wind – and it can be violent up here – but here you can also breathe well. I think many terrains up here were abandoned as people looked for flatter areas which can be mechanised.

“The vines here are classed Beaujolais Villages. I use no chemicals, but there’s no certification as I’ve no time for the paperwork and controls – the work is part bio, part biodynamic. I’m replanting some parcels here which were en-friche. Last year we were hailed here – Fleurie is just the other side of the hill. My son, Jules, is also working a hectare here in bio. We have a couple of Fleuries, some Moulin à Vent, a hectare in Lancié and also Beaujeux. I’ve 5 hectares and Jules now has 3.

“We also have sheep, pigs, chickens – it’s old style – it was just like this 50 years ago!”

The house probably dates from the middle-ages – the cellar is quite large and used for some elevage, but there was not enough wine in 2016 so none is currently here – Yvon comments on 2016: “2016 was looking like it would bring a good volume but because of the hail we lost close to 70% – Grille-Midi completely – Jules made virtually no wine, the hail hit 15 km away in Beaujeux and took the line directly here and then onto Fleurie.”

And 2015? “2015 was a bit of a misery in terms of the dryness and the low volume it brought – about half a harvest – about 20 hl/ha, though I suppose we never make 40, perhaps once or twice such as 2011. I don’t always say keep Beaujolais but I think that 2015 really merits it, I think it’s a super vintage.”

In the shed is the tractor bought by Yvon’s father in 1963 – they also use a small plough that can be pulled by cable up the hill, pulled by the back of the tractor – Swiss-style.

“I vinify in the manner of Jules Chauvet, from old research, I use just a little sulfur for some cuvées, but for others not in 2015. There’s no destemming, no grills – actually I did use a grill to start with – maybe 30 years ago to test what I thought was best – I was persuaded that I could do better without it. It took a while, but now I find it relatively easy to produce a wine without sulfur. I think the blend of the practical that I learned from Marcel Lapierre and the scientific that I learned from Chauvet, is what was needed to take this route.”

The wines…

A certain ‘reset’ is needed when tasting, as these wines are not the same as at other domaines, yet there remains a brilliant purity of style. And purity is rarely a word used for wines that see no sulfur! It seems to me that all these wines demand opening and keeping for an hour or so, or even decanting – these babies, anyway!