Winemaker Notes
The emblem of the Geoffray family: with complex flavors of iris and peony, bluish-red in color, with a long mouth of spicy tannins. As the name of the appellation indicates, this wine comes exclusively from the steep slopes of Mont Brouilly, which are of volcanic origin, with their complex soil of blue stone (andesite).
The 8.3 hectares of vineyard spread over the east, south and south-west sides yield very individual wines, having a red colour with bluish reflections, and a subtle flavour of violet and peony. In the mouth it distinguishes itself with a lovely balance of silky tannins and wild red fruits such as wild strawberry or bilberry. The finish is long and peppery. In the mouth it distinguishes itself with a lovely balance of silky tannins and wild red fruits such as wild strawberry or bilberry. The finish is long and peppery.
This Côte de Brouilly can be charming and lively in its early youth, and can equally become noble and elegant when laid down (three to eight years).
At home with fine food, it goes well with entrées such as a traditional chicken liver terrine, meat or poultry such as duck breast, and with goat’s cheese.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Stunning, concentrated black cherries and plenty of the characteristic acidity of the vintage, both seamlessly interwoven with the gentle tannins and the minerality through the very long, super clean finish. Exemplary use of oak. Almost endless finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Côte de Brouilly wafts from the glass with a complex bouquet that mingles notes of cherries and raspberries with nuances of warm spices, dark chocolate, candied peel and rose petals. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with good concentration, tangy acids and fine framing tannins, concluding with a penetrating finish. This is beginning to come into its own and will drink well for more than a decade.
Delightfully playful, but also capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines. From Beaujolais, Gamay generally has three classes: Beaujolais Nouveau, a decidedly young, fruit-driven wine, Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais. The Villages and Crus are highly ranked grape growing communes whose wines are capable of improving with age whereas Nouveau, released two months after harvest, is intended for immediate consumption. Somm Secret—The ten different Crus have their own distinct personalities—Fleurie is delicate and floral, Côte de Brouilly is concentrated and elegant and Morgon is structured and age-worthy.
The bucolic region often identified as the southern part of Burgundy, Beaujolais actually doesn’t have a whole lot in common with the rest of the region in terms of climate, soil types and grape varieties. Beaujolais achieves its own identity with variations on style of one grape, Gamay.
Gamay was actually grown throughout all of Burgundy until 1395 when the Duke of Burgundy banished it south, making room for Pinot Noir to inhabit all of the “superior” hillsides of Burgundy proper. This was good news for Gamay as it produces a much better wine in the granitic soils of Beaujolais, compared with the limestone escarpments of the Côte d’Or.
Four styles of Beaujolais wines exist. The simplest, and one that has regrettably given the region a subpar reputation, is Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the Beaujolais wine that is made using carbonic maceration (a quick fermentation that results in sweet aromas) and is released on the third Thursday of November in the same year as harvest. It's meant to drink young and is flirty, fruity and fun. The rest of Beaujolais is where the serious wines are found. Aside from the wines simply labelled, Beaujolais, there are the Beaujolais-Villages wines, which must come from the hilly northern part of the region, and offer reasonable values with some gems among them. The superior sections are the cru vineyards coming from ten distinct communes: St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly. Any cru Beajolais will have its commune name prominent on the label.