Damien Coquelet
Damien Coquelet represents the future of Beaujolais. Despite being just 25 years old he is far from precocious. He has worked alongside his step-father, George Descombes, since he was 5 years old. His 6 hectares of vines in Chiroubles and Morgon are farmed along biodynamic principals, harvests are only by hand of course and yields are kept very low to around 30 hectolitres per hectare. Damien knows his region and vineyards intimately having grown up in them, soaking up the wisdom of the old timers who he worked alongside. He is trusted such that even the mayor of Morgon leased him a prized parcel of vines on retirement.
In the winery Damien, as you would expect, is completely non-interventionist allowing natural yeasts to ferment whole bunches without temperature control or protection, and no sulphur during élevage and little if any at bottling. His philosophy for his style of Beaujolais is to create cuvées that, of course, represent their Crus and terroirs succinctly but above all have a piercing minerality and an essential vitality; they feel alive.
In the winery Damien, as you would expect, is completely non-interventionist allowing natural yeasts to ferment whole bunches without temperature control or protection, and no sulphur during élevage and little if any at bottling. His philosophy for his style of Beaujolais is to create cuvées that, of course, represent their Crus and terroirs succinctly but above all have a piercing minerality and an essential vitality; they feel alive.
