Domaine de Fa

The Graillot family has always been big on Beaujolais. For as long as we have been visiting, the corridors and stairwell of their winery in Crozes have been stacked with boxes that have been swapped with Beaujolais’ best and fairest. And there’s more often than not a bottle or two at the dinner table. So when the indefatigable Alain Graillot told me several years ago that he and his two sons, Antoine and Maxime, were on the look out for some vineyard land in the Beaujolais, I was not really surprised. Their organic viticulture, whole bunch winemaking and love of freshness and finesse seemed like a perfect fit with Beaujolais. When, in 2013, the rare opportunity arose to acquire five hectares of mature vines on the steep Côte de Besset, one of Saint-Amour’s twelve climats, the Graillots did not hesitate. The high and rocky Côte de Besset is located in the northernmost section of the appellation, bordering Juliénas and overlooking the town of Saint-Amour. Here the steep, high altitude vineyards face mostly east and the soils are composed of pink granite and granitic sand. These vines span three Beaujolais appellations; Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and an exceptionally low yielding, single hectare of Saint-Amour.

The following year the Graillots were able to add three hectares in Fleurie, on the steep slopes of the stunning Roche Guillon lieu dit, near Poncié. Rising to 350 metres, the gobelet-trained vines of the Roche Guillon are also rooted in the classic decomposed, pink granitic sands of the region, but there is also some limestone and clay throughout.

Domaine de Fa’s steep, gobelet-trained vineyards are certified organic and managed strictly biodynamically. The wines are then crafted in a beautifully restored, stone farmhouse close to Tournus where Alain Graillot’s mother resides. The name of the project, Domaine de Fa, takes its name from this property. Unlike some northerners who are today making Beaujolais in the style of the Cote d’Or, the winemaking here remains traditional for Beaujolais; the grapes are naturally fermented, semi carbonic style, with 100% whole bunches in concrete fermenters. ROB WALTERS