Tasted in Régnié-Durette with Charlotte & Sébastien Congretel, 21 February 2020.

Domaine L’Épicurieux
178 rue du bourg
69430 Régnié-Durette
Tel: +33 6 33 56 47 55
facebook.com/epicurieuxbojo/

This is a young domaine – extant since 2016. Sébastien says that they actually sold some wine in 2015, “but our real start was in 2016.”

Domaine L’Épicurieux have vines in Régnié, Morgon and Beaujolais Villages from Lantgnié. Sébastien isn’t a local, but his wife, Charlotte is, her brother is Quentin Perroud of Château du Basty.

Sébastien has here since 2010, the pair moving to their house Régnié in 2011. Whilst Charlotte was studying winemaking, Sébastien was working one month on, one month off, on oil-rigs in the north sea, but of-course, enjoying his ‘off’ months in the vineyards of his ‘in-laws.’ In 2016, when Charlotte finished her studies, Sébastien decided it was time to leave the north-sea behind, and this coincided with the couple buying their first vines in Morgon.

The domaine began with 2.5 hectares for their initial vintages, now it’s 4. In 2018 they produced 20,000 bottles, all are sold. For 2019 have a négoce licence too, “But we’re not looking to grow much.” All the vines are worked organic, and coming will be a second cuvée of Morgon plus some Brouilly. Sales are currently more export; mainly the US, Switzerland and Northern-Europe.

We got onto talking about winemaking: Sébastien said that they’ve been much influenced by the work of Julien Sunier – “I personally learned a lot from him.” There’s very little sulfur used today, their
Réginé sees elevage in foudres, their Morgon in barrel and the Beaujolais-Lantignié half in concrete and half in 500-litre barrels of some age. The 2019 Brouilly is in concrete, and there’s even an amphora for testing too in 2019.

Sébastien and Charlotte on 2018:
“2018 was not really an easy vintage but we had a good harvest in terms of the volume. The vinifications were not easy, we had to be very reactive, but we didn’t have too high degrees – 12-12.4°.”

The wines…

A great choice if you find these wines!

The wines were bottled mid-May. The only additions of sulfur were at racking and bottling:

2018 Régnié Chacha
From Les Buyards, an alluvial soil here, quite deep then you hit clay. These vines are organic, the other two vines are in conversion.
An open, inviting round nose – reflective of the wines of both Suniers – the darker red fruit with the faintest of lactic impressions. Very inviting. Round, nicely mouth-filling, a very modest base of tannin but the structure is super as is the largely mineral persistence – this is excellent Régnié – a lovely start.

2018 Morgon Les Charmes Zélébrité
Almost north-east facing about 65-year-old vines. ‘I like the freshness that this parcel keeps’
A deeper red fruit, slightly saline – nice. Equally nice width and energy too – without overdoing – fine, pure, a little structural shape – almost airy flavour but with a serious wave of finishing flavour. This is really excellent, perhaps even better. Suggesting flowers in the finish.