Tasted with Anthony Perol in Chatillon, 24 February 2023.

Domaine Perol
447 Chem. de la Colletière d’en-Bas
69380 Chatillon
Tel: +33 4 78 43 99 84
www.domaine-perol.com

This domaine is only 5 minutes from that of the Chasselays – their buildings dating from the Napoleonic times. It’s the 5th generation making wine here but not just wine – “We have always been working in polyculture here so we still have the cows!” Indeed, there are 26 hectares of vines but it’s 100 hectares that are managed organically – the pastures for the cows too. It’s about 30% of the domaine’s wines are exported from France – “We have a good passing clientele – mainly from Lyon – probably because we are the closest orgainic domaine to Lyon…”

The wines…

My first visit uncovered some excellent wines from this compact but interesting range.

“2021, for us, is a lighter vintage. We did 35 hl/ha in the vintage. We have 2 reds – we do long elevage – the first with quite a recent bottling:”

2021 Beaujolais Pierres d’Orées Le Bien Elevé
Only bottled a couple of weeks – maceration in stainless steel then elevage in cement tanks. This a blend of multiple soil types – ‘We have everything – except granite!’
A slight reduction gives way to very nice and pretty red fruit. Supple, there’s a faint menthol. Long, easy red that’s quite complex finishing – it’s a good wine.

2021 Beaujolais Pierres d’Orées Clos du Chateau
From Schist soils – blue – this not to be bottled until the end of May – after 18 months on fine lees in concrete tanks.
Plenty of colour. Forward fruit energy, darker fruit and I like the precision. Supple, darker fruit energy again, nicely direct – and the middle and finishing flavours are really excellent – depth and concentration – minerality and fine precision – that’s a really super wine – excellent!

And a white:

2021 Beaujolais Blanc Pierres d’Orées Perle du Chateau
Argilo-calcaire and marne soils – usually 12 months elevage for this one.
Bright, open, the mineral rigour of the region. In the mouth, this is more attractive, complex and with good energy – not the extra maturity of many in 21 – this treads a good line – finishing quite slaine and rather intense too. It’s a good one.