This cracking dry sparkling wine is 100% Chardonnay from a single parcel of vines just north of the Chermette cellars in Le Bois-d’Oingt. It’s a 2.5-hectare, southwest-facing site on limestone/clay soil―perfect for Chardonnay. The wine ages for 18 months in bottle, minimum sulphur is used, it is neither fined nor filtered, and very little dosage is added (4 g/L).

This shipment is a blend of 2018, 2019 and 2020 and is showing creamier, lemon-curd intensity and more length than previous bottlings—perhaps due to the low yields and warmer vintages involved. There are well-pitched notes of pear, citrus, chamomile, toasted hazelnuts and subtle buttery brioche, while the palate is vinous, focused and balanced by stony acidity. We love the fine, airy bubbles and the fresh, sculpted energy and finesse. If you don’t know this wine, do yourself a favour; French sparkling wine this impressive, at this price, does not grow on trees. 

Chermette’s entry-level Beaujolais is drawn from 30- to 40-year-old vines grown on dark granite soils around the homestead in Saint-Vérand (in southern Beaujolais). The winemaking has remained unchanged for decades, with traditional whole-bunch, semi-carbonic fermentation in concrete tanks and then maturation in both tank and old oak casks still the order of the day.

As opposed to his age-worthy Crus from Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie et al, Chermette’s aim here is to produce something light-to medium-bodied, bright and cherry-fruited with reach-for-another-glass charm. The nose is so exuberant you could be tasting out of barrel, flush with lip-smacking wild-plum fruit flecked by violet florals. The palate tells the same delicious story through waves of vibrant and tangy berries and cherrystone fruit. Love at first sip! There is a strong argument to say this is the best Griottes we have shipped. As always, it is a delicious, moreish wine and fabulous value.

Chermette’s entry-level Beaujolais is drawn from 30- to 40-year-old vines grown on dark granite soils around the homestead in Saint-Vérand (in southern Beaujolais). The winemaking has remained unchanged for decades, with traditional whole-bunch, semi-carbonic fermentation in concrete tanks and then maturation in both tank and old oak casks still the order of the day.

As opposed to his age-worthy Crus from Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie et al, Chermette’s aim here is to produce something light-to medium-bodied, bright and cherry-fruited with reach-for-another-glass charm. The nose is so exuberant you could be tasting out of barrel, flush with lip-smacking wild-plum fruit flecked by violet florals. The palate tells the same delicious story through waves of vibrant and tangy berries and cherrystone fruit. Love at first sip! There is a strong argument to say this is the best Griottes we have shipped. As always, it is a delicious, moreish wine and fabulous value.

Chermette’s entry-level Beaujolais is drawn from 30- to 40-year-old vines grown on dark granite soils around the homestead in Saint-Vérand (in southern Beaujolais). The winemaking has remained unchanged for decades, with traditional whole-bunch, semi-carbonic fermentation in concrete tanks and then maturation in both tank and old oak casks still the order of the day.
As opposed to his age-worthy Crus from Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie et al, Chermette’s aim here is to produce something light-to medium-bodied, bright and cherry-fruited with reach-for-another-glass charm. The nose is so exuberant you could be tasting out of barrel, flush with lip-smacking wild-plum fruit flecked by violet florals. The palate tells the same delicious story through waves of vibrant and tangy berries and cherrystone fruit. Love at first sip! There is a strong argument to say this is the best Griottes we have shipped. As always, it is a delicious, moreish wine and fabulous value.

Chermette’s emblematic Cuvée Traditionnelle Vieilles Vignes (previously called Vissoux) was first bottled in 1986 at the behest of Jean Brouilly, then Michelin-starred chef of Tarare. It instantly caused a sensation, launching the fame of the Chermette wines and igniting heated debate within the region. Unchaptalised and unfiltered (inadvertently or not), this wild-ferment, low-sulphur, old-vine cuvée sailed over the oceans of bland, homogenised Beaujolais being produced at the time. It also raised the bar considerably for quality, non-Cru Beaujolais, and remains a benchmark.
The fruit source is a densely-planted four hectares in Saint-Vérand, with vines rooted in a pocket of dark granite—soil that partly accounts for the wine’s Cru-level depth and minerality. The vine age also helps, ranging from 35 to 85 years. These vines typically produce a considerably plumper and silkier wine than the entry-level Griottes, and in’22 this manifests in an explicitly floral and fleshy release bursting with plump blackberry fruit, lithe, powdery structure and juicy freshness. A wine to brighten the gloomiest of days; the value on offer is off the charts.

Martine Chermette’s grandmother was born and grew up among the vines at Pierreux, just outside the small hamlet of Odenas. As Martine puts it: “For sentimental reasons [we] couldn’t resist buying this little plot of vines at the foot of Mont Brouilly.” Chermette tends just 1.5 hectares of vines here, with 60-year-old roots delving deep into the eroded granite and bluestone that has been washed down from the mountain over millennia. The name Pierreux comes from the word pierres (‘stones’), illustrating the makeup of the soil.
The Brouilly is often a more brooding cuvée in the range—particularly in its early years—though 2022 is a finer and more aromatic example, with scents of wild blue fruit aromas along with pitchstone and peppery spices. The palate is juicy and fine with creamy, scented fruit cushioned by succulent acidity and elegantly chalky tannins. 

The Poncié cuvée is drawn from a beautiful 4.5-hectare site of 45-year-old vines on pink granite soils. It is Chermette’s most seductive and graceful Cru bottling, especially when young. Poncié is one of a handful of celebrated highland terroirs along the ridge situated high above the village (Roche Guillon is another). The winemaking is traditional, with natural, whole-bunch ferments in large concrete vats and aging in large old foudres.

Ripe yet compact, seamlessly silky and flooded with floral and red-fruited perfume, it's a stunning example of a wine Pierre-Marie Chermette likes to describe as “élégant et aérien”, or elegant and lifted. Poncié is one of seven vineyards in Fleurie that has recently been put forward for 1er Cru status. There could hardly be a better wine to go into bat with than Chermette’s 2022.

The Poncié cuvée is drawn from a beautiful 4.5-hectare site of 45-year-old vines on pink granite soils. It is Chermette’s most seductive and graceful Cru bottling, especially when young. Poncié is one of a handful of celebrated highland terroirs along the ridge situated high above the village (Roche Guillon is another). The winemaking is traditional, with natural, whole-bunch ferments in large concrete vats and aging in large old foudres. 

Ripe yet compact, seamlessly silky and flooded with floral and red-fruited perfume, it's a stunning example of a wine Pierre-Marie Chermette likes to describe as “élégant et aérien”, or elegant and lifted. Poncié is one of seven vineyards in Fleurie that has recently been put forward for 1er Cru status. There could hardly be a better wine to go into bat with than Chermette’s 2022.

The Poncié cuvée is drawn from a beautiful 4.5-hectare site of 45-year-old vines on pink granite soils. It is Chermette’s most seductive and graceful Cru bottling, especially when young. Poncié is one of a handful of celebrated highland terroirs along the ridge situated high above the village (Roche Guillon is another). The winemaking is traditional, with natural, whole-bunch ferments in large concrete vats and aging in large old foudres.

Ripe yet compact, seamlessly silky and flooded with floral and red-fruited perfume, it's a stunning example of a wine Pierre-Marie Chermette likes to describe as “élégant et aérien”, or elegant and lifted. Poncié is one of seven vineyards in Fleurie that has recently been put forward for 1er Cru status. There could hardly be a better wine to go into bat with than Chermette’s 2022.

The newest star in the Chermette firmament, Pierre-Marie’s Saint-Amour is drawn from a tiny parcel of 50-year-old vines from the Champs-Grillés climat (which covers a total of just three hectares). The parcel was offered to Chermette by an old friend who could no longer manage the steep aspect on the Bessay Mountain.
Saint-Amour’s soils include areas of granite and varying quantities of clay and limestone—a mix said to produce lighter, more delicate wines. Chermette’s vines, however, are all rooted in the classic decomposed granite. Along with the old vines, low yields and high, southeast-facing aspect, this begets a surprisingly intense wine, which combines the lacy muscle of this grower’s Moulin-à-Vent with the soaring perfumes of the Fleurie. Long, flowing and lacy, it’s a wine to be drunk again and again.

Les Trois Roches is named for the three rocky parcels of vines from which it derives—Rochegrès, Roche Noire and Rochelle. The average age of the vines on these sites is now more than 40 years. Pierre-Marie points out that La Rochelle (which overlooks the famous windmill) brings structure, whereas the east-facing Rochegrès contributes finesse and supple tannins, and the Roche Noire grapes bring liveliness and juicy fruit. One of the common features of these sites is the concentration of manganese in the soils, which delivers an unmistakable mineral thread that runs through the wine. Unlike Chermette’s other Crus, the Moulin-à-Vent undergoes a portion of barrique aging (20%), which gives you some idea of the intense personality of this Cru.

It's a wonderfully vivacious and aromatic release with a structured, mineral and ferrous intensity that screams of its place. Expect layers of blue fruit and black cherry, a juicy, enveloping texture, delicately mouthcoating tannins and creamy old-vine/low-yield concentration, all underscored by that pungent seam of smoky mineral and long, succulent freshness of the vintage. This serious, grown-up Beaujolais warrants a few years in bottle before broaching, though it does have the balance to be enjoyed with gusto now!

Les Trois Roches is named for the three rocky parcels of vines from which it derives—Rochegrès, Roche Noire and Rochelle. The average age of the vines on these sites is now more than 40 years. Pierre-Marie points out that La Rochelle (which overlooks the famous windmill) brings structure, whereas the east-facing Rochegrès contributes finesse and supple tannins, and the Roche Noire grapes bring liveliness and juicy fruit. One of the common features of these sites is the concentration of manganese in the soils, which delivers an unmistakable mineral thread that runs through the wine. Unlike Chermette’s other Crus, the Moulin-à-Vent undergoes a portion of barrique aging (20%), which gives you some idea of the intense personality of this Cru.
It's a wonderfully vivacious and aromatic release with a structured, mineral and ferrous intensity that screams of its place. Expect layers of blue fruit and black cherry, a juicy, enveloping texture, delicately mouthcoating tannins and creamy old-vine/low-yield concentration, all underscored by that pungent seam of smoky mineral and long, succulent freshness of the vintage. This serious, grown-up Beaujolais warrants a few years in bottle before broaching, though it does have the balance to be enjoyed with gusto now!