Paris, France — We had another close encounter of the wine kind with one of our favorite winemakers, Franck Chavy and his brilliant and bountiful Beaujolais country wines. The fourth generation winemaker was named as the Beaujolais Winemaker of the year 2023 by the prestigious Hachette Wine Guide. A rare rosé Beaujolais-Villages, a spice-filled Morgan and an opulent Régnié were all on the agenda along with a full litany of his collection of wines without sulphates. It offered an excellent journey into Beaujolais country where Franck Chavy cultivates 23 acres (9.5 hectares)  of the Gamay and Chardonnay grape varieties on a picturesque estate just 62 miles (100km) south of Beaune and 31 miles (50km) north of Lyons. The estate possesses rare old growth grapevines that are between 110 and 120 years old. 

It all played out at an excellent Parisian bistro, Oh Vin Dieu (Oh, God Wine) known for its hearty French fare, perfect for the earthy wines from Franck Chavy. It was a tasting of comparisons with wines produced with sulphates followed by a tasting of his sulphate-free wines. Sulphates developed in wine with modern oenology as a method to prevent the natural evolution of the grape into not very drinkable vinegar. The sulphates neutralized the oxygen. But today modern tools are available, notably those making it possible to create artificial atmospheres of neutral gases at every manipulation stage. The result: wines that are dazzling. Now this takes nothing away from wines that are made with sulphates so let’s start with those. 

The astounding and rare Beaujolais-Villages Rosé 2022 was very fragrant made solely with Gamay, the red grape variety of Beaujolais country. Fragrant yet full-bodied, it is perfect for sipping as an aperitif or supping with barbecued meats.  We moved onto a Julmary 2022 Brouilly —Julmary is a contraction of Juliane, Manon and Amaury, the names of the Chavy’s three children — another pure highly drinkable ode to the Gamay grape variety. By the by Franck Chavy’s Morgan Gamay Noir was regarded as the best Gamay in the world in 2019. Our Brouilly at the tasting was fruity with a strong note of blackcurrant. It is a wine that seemingly goes with everything.  Next up was an excellent spice-filled Morgan, Les Granites Roses 2022, Morgan. This wine emerges from one of the estate’s finest parcels of the Gamay grape variety perched upon an iron-rich granite soil. As we head into game season keep it in mind for a feast of pheasant or wild duck.  The Cuvée Paradis 2022 Régnié was nothing short of opulent and unctuous, bursting forth with the estate’s famous Gamay grapes.

The equivalents without sulphates were clearly a dazzling discovery ranging from the Régnié without sulphates 2022 to the Morgan without Sulphates 2022 and the Brouilly without Sulphates 2022. We were treated to a Brouilly 2019 without sulphates that approached a Burgundy underscoring that wines made without sulphates can be aged as well as those with. The entire tasting was enhanced by the down to earth cuisine of Oh Vin Dieu notably the house-made chicken liver pâté, organic hard-boiled eggs slathered in homemade mayonnaise and peppered with green peas and herbs, and that was just for pre-lunch snacks. A salad of marinated prawns was accompanied by Franck Chavy’s Viognier 2022. An elegant white wine made with the Viognier white wine grape variety, which the world is beginning to happily discover. A Morgon 2020 without sulphates (sorry guys no longer available) went perfectly with the hanger steak accompanied by Oh Vin Dieu’s signature French fries cooked in rendered beef fat. A Régnié 2015, also no longer available, hoisted the dessert course of strawberries poached in the same Régnié topped off with meringue to an astounding level. 

The Domaine Franck Chavy estate welcomes visitors and tastings and introductions to oenology are all on the agenda and it is located in an incredibly scenic part of the Beaujolais region. Appointments are highly recommended. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. Domaine Franck Chavy, 200 route de Lachat, 69430 Régnié-Durette. + 33 (0)6 07 16 18 85. https://domainefranckchavy.fr/