2017 AOC Fleurie 'O Bella Ciao'
Regular price
$95
750ml
Sale
Julie has a secluded parcel of 3.2 hectares surrounded by woods, in Fleurie. There are 3 different soil types here: pure granite mixed with pebbles and sand, granite and quartz, and granite with basalt. The vines are aged between 30 and 100 years old. When the year permits, she makes 3 different cuvées. However, in 2017, she had two wines from her En Rémont parcel, but she preferred them blended as one, and called it O Bella Ciao. Named after an old Italian folk song, 'Bella Ciao' is an anti-fascist hymn of freedom and resistance. The grapes saw carbonic maceration in vat, slowly for 1.5 months, then élevage was for 6-7 months in old barrels. Zero SO2 at any stage.
Those Aromas! How good is Fleurie! The fruit is perfectly ripe – just restrained enough – and has that negroni and carob element that is so unique to Julie’s wines. The perfume is brooding but lifted. It begins with dark cherry, wild florals and woody herbs, and expands offering multiple layers as the evening unfolds. To drink it is extremely fresh. Ripe fruits, full mid palate, and a sensation of ease. There is lots of depth and nice tension too, and a nice line of minerality that becomes more apparent with time. It’s darkish, but fresh and yummy. The texture… relaxes the soul. Very fine-grained tannins add complexity. Dashes of campari, cherry ripe, violets and spice are prominent through wafts of magical florals and boysenberry. Absolutely delicious!
