Jean-Louis Dutraive has a son, Justin. Justin acquired a small parcel of vines, and now he is releasing his own wines.
To do this, Justin took advantage not so much of his family connections... Read More
Jean-Louis Dutraive has a son, Justin. Justin acquired a small parcel of vines, and now he is releasing his own wines.
To do this, Justin took advantage not so much of his family connections but the abundant and inexpensive land that is available in Beaujolais. He was able to secure a small parcel just below Fleurie that nobody else wanted. There, he applied his natural talents and the skills he picked up not just from his father but also from Jean Foillard and Julie Balagny (where he staged), and stints abroad in Australia and Oregon.
His winemaking, naturally, is similar to his father's, with a traditional semi-carbonic fermentation. His most significant variance is fermentation in a "sputnik," basically a spherical fiberglass container that can be turned, allowing an extraction that may be smoother and more even than what you achieve with pump-overs. You'll notice that the wine does have excellent richness and texture, and that may well be thanks to this technique. The winemaking is otherwise quite non-interventionist, right up to bottling, where either no or very little sulfur is added.
