Dominique Gruhier makes special Burgundy. Becky Wasserman (who imports both Mugnier and Gruhier) describes Gruhier's reds as Chablisien Pinot Noir. Which makes sense: his village, Épineuil, is north of Chablis and has the same bedrock of kimmeridgian limestone. And the Pinot that grows there does taste Chablisien: clear and pure with fruit that shimmers and minerals that evoke white wine. Elegance. When you taste it you understand why Mugnier (famous for his pure and graceful wines) was such a fan.

The reds are surprising. But what shouldn't be surprising is that Gruhier makes great white and sparkling wines. After all, he isn't just close to Chablis, he's also only a few kilometers southwest of the Aube in Champagne. The Aube is where top growers like Cedric Bouchard and Vouette et Sorbée make killer Champagnes. And so, in addition to uniquely elegant Pinot, he also makes a Chablis-like Bourgogne Blanc and a very Champagne-like Crémant de Bourgogne.

What importer Bowler Wine has to say about this wine...

100% Gamay. "Cuvée Christie" comes from two parcels totaling 3 hectares near the village of Fleurie. They are owned by the Coudert family but not part of the original Clos de la Roilette estate vineyard, which is notable mainly because the soils are more typical of Fleurie, with more granite vs. those of the Clos. The vines are 30-40 years old. As for the estate vineyard, the farming is sustainable and all vineyard work is by hand; the wines are made identically as well. Vinification is traditional, semi-carbonic Beaujolais style. The whole clusters are harvested by hand and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in open-top concrete tanks. Maceration lasts about 10 days (shortest of all of their Fleuries), with a submerged cap rather than punchdowns. The wine is aged in large oak foudres from 80 to 100 years old for 9 months before bottling. Sulfur use is quite minimal.