Description
The domain rests in the rolling hills of the Mâconnais, at the crossroads of the picturesque towns of Chaintré, Chânes & Leynes. Château de Lavernette was founded in 1596 and today makes Pouilly-Fuissé and Beaujolais from their estate vineyards that drape the hillsides next to the winery.
Unlike typical Beaujolais, Lavernette make their reds without Carbonic maceration which usually endows Beaujolais with candied fruit flavours. Winemaker Anke instead goes for whole-bunch fermentation that endows the wine with more extraction and power. A wicked wine with intense aromas of blackberry, tobacco, and spice.
"The 2020 Beaujolais-Leynes from Château de Lavernette is their old vine cuvée, with these vines having been planted in 1957, 1961 and 1967. Rather than being raised in tank like the above, this bottling is raised in older oak casks. It too is a product of its vintage and comes in at 14.5 percent alcohol in this hot, dry summer, but these old vines have retained lovely freshness and precision in the bouquet, which wafts from the glass in a blend of red and black cherries, sweet cranberries, a touch of spiced meats, a lovely base of dark soil, bonfire, lovely spice tones, lavender and a bit of oak influence from the older barrels. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and beautifully soil-driven for this vintage, with a full-bodied and complex format, lovely depth of fruit, suave, moderate tannins and a long, vibrant and impeccably balanced finish. These old vines do not show the same touch of backend heat as is found in the 2020 Beaujolais-Villages, despite being listed at the same octane. This is a beautiful example of the vintage! 2023-2040+. 91 points"
John Gilman, View from the Cellar 104, March-April, 2023
