Tasted in Fleurie with Jean-Marc Darbon, 09 February 2032

Les Vins J.M Aujoux
44 rue des Sarments
69820 Fleurie
Tel: +33 4 69 37 00 89
www.aujoux.fr

Aujoux is possibly the largest supplier of good standard Beaujolais that you have never heard of: They are a historic supplier of the UK’s Wine Society – for maybe more than 70 years – and also in the UK, they supply the Waitrose supermarket chain – but their office in Fleurie is very discrete.

You may not have heard of them but they produce about 6 million bottles – mainly a blend of Beaujolais and Maconnais – there’s a little Burgundy and Rhône too but also some rosé from the Languedoc – the volume of that has exploded in recent years. 60% is sold in France – 60% of that amount for French supermarkets.

Despite this significant volume, there are only 17 workers here and Jean-Marc is the oenologue. “Aujoux own very few vines but we do have a small domaine in the Mâconnais – we have very old, almost generational, contracts with growers. We have many different labels depending on the point of sale, making a million bottles of rosé, and a million of Beaujolais Nouveau – so it’s only 4 million that remain…!”

It was one of their (many) 2022 Nouveaux that I found so excellent, that pushed me to ask for a visit.

Jean-Marc on 2021:
“From my point of view it’s a year where we return to the character of gamay. It’s difficult after the 2020s as they are more direct than those rich and powerful wines – they are easy wines. These wines that we taste are about 6-months in bottle:”

The wines…

High-quality wines – very well made – no herbal, green, pyrazines to be seen – very well done!

2021 Château de Lacarelle, Beaujolais Villages
Also plenty of colour. A more saline width of aroma. Fresher – mouth-filling wine – framed with some modest but growing tannin. More intense and structural a little graphite in these finishing flavours. That’s a very good wine but wait 2 years.

2021 JM Aujoux, Beaujolais Villages La Collection
More airy, more classic BJ – not unlike the Cuvée Louis. A little gas but, no surprise, plenty of energy. Intense and interesting – tannic too but less drying. Almost a juicy finish – I like it a lot.

2021 Cadole du Chapitre, St.Amour
I like this ‘old-style’ label…
Plenty of colour again. A tighter nose, dark fruit but nice precision – nothing overdone – slowly more perfume too. Dark fruit almost a slightly roast character – it won’t surprise you to hear that’s quite rare in 21! Relaxing over the palate with a lot more finishing complexity – that’s a super finish.

2021 Jacques Dépagneux, Fleurie Cuvée Marcel
The Wine Society ‘Exhibition Fleurie’ comes from here but it’s the WS team together with Aujoux who make the blend together.
Starting with a slight DIAM reduction – but air soon freshens this up. Open and fresh but there’s depth and concentration here – that’s a very Fleurie style with slightly cushioned, comfortable, red friuit. Easy, delicious fruit.

2021 Domaine des Coteaux de Font Cure, Brouilly
A large part of this is destemmed.
Good aromatic direction – it’s darker fruit but of good freshness. Mouth-filling, lovely energy but there’s concentration too – delicious and mouthwatering wine with fine precision – That’s simply excellent stuff!

2021 Jacques Dépagneux, Côte de Brouilly Les Douze Perles
It goes without saying, plenty of colour. An extra energy of higher-toned aromas here – very nice. Fresh, lots of attack, tannins that dry a little more – but not quite herbal. A finish with plenty of tannin but with plenty of off-sweet finishing, mouth-watering flavour too.

2021 JM Aujoux, Morgon La Collection
This still in elevage – more than half comes from Corcelettes
Open and airy. Fresh and mouth-filling, structural wine. Some tannin too – but it’s also juicily attractive red fruit in these flavours. Holding a nice finish.

2021 Domaine de Roche Saint-Jean, Morgon Grand Cras
High tones, darker fruit but again with lots of freshness, slowly adding some floral tones. Direct, incisive – a wine of both tension and intensity – a hint of austerity – but hey, it’s young Morgon! Super.

2021 Jacques Dépagneux, Morgon Cote du Py Cuvée Mathilde
More volume and energy – that’s a good nose – growing more perfumed! Extra concentration, extra depth – a wine of structure but not too much. Growing in flavour complexity. In any company, that’s an excellent wine! Some finishing salinity here – for keeping 3 years but I really enjoyed.

2021 Jacques Dépagneux, Moulin à Vent Vieilles-Vignes Cuvée Jean
Another that’s still in elevage.
Some depth but also lots of fine higher tones. Hmm – lots of energy and complexity in this concentration – you can see that it’s not ready but you can also see the depth and complexity of what’s waiting.

And a Blanc?

2021 Domaine des Coteaux de Font Cure, Beaujolais Villages Blanc
Vines in Quincié
A faintly gold colour. The nose slightly savoury but it’s only tank elevage and slowly the fruit grows and takes charge. Mmm – that’s nicely energetic and has a delicious slight sucrosity. Modestly mineral and saline to finish – no rigour. That’s an excellent BJVB!