2022 Moulin-à-Vent

Since 1739, Domaine du Moulin-à-Vent has been producing wine in Beaujolais from the titular village. When I started visiting the region, Domaine du Moulin-à-Vent tended to produce quite oaky wines that did not appeal to purists, who often found them too modern. The Parinet family, who acquired the estate in 2009, changed the style. These days, there are clearly earlier pickings, sulfur additions only after malolactic fermentation and, crucially, far less use of new oak barrels. Edouard Parinet was another winemaker out on the promotional trail in the Far East when I called in, though that meant I could spend time with winemaker Brice Laffond, who joined the team in 2013. Laffond told me that they started picking on August 19 and finished on August 26, harvesting quickly due to the escalating levels of alcohol, the final degrees around 14%. In recent years, the Domaine produced a range of single-vineyard cuvées that come recommended. This year, I was particularly taken with their Les Grands Savarins (despite some reduction) and also their debut Petites Garennes.