The Cru Beaujolais made by Stephane Aviron are truly old-school. Not the modern tradition of the "Gang of Four" that Kermit Lynch began importing 30 years ago; those wines are great and delicious but are... Read More

The Cru Beaujolais made by Stephane Aviron are truly old-school. Not the modern tradition of the "Gang of Four" that Kermit Lynch began importing 30 years ago; those wines are great and delicious but are in fact a reaction to the mass-produced plonk that Beaujolais began churning out during the post World War II era. No, Aviron's wines return to the pre-war times when Beaujolais was simply an extension of Burgundy known for better value Bourgogne rouge that just happened to made from Gamay instead of Pinot.

In other words his wines are elegant, structured and from the best sites very long lived. Stephane uses classic Burgundian methods which means minimal stems and whole clusters, little to no carbonic maceration and fermenting and aging in oak barrels (a few of which are new). The results are dense, sappy wines that have classic floral aromatics and a core of minerality that comes from the granitic soils found in many of the top vineyards.

Stephane uses his connections throughout the region (he owns a bottling facility that bottles many of our favorite Beaujolais producers) to source old vines that he farms using organic and biodynamic principles. He makes wine from most of the 10 crus, but his top two sites are in Morgon's Cote du Py vineyard and in Moulin A Vent.