AOP's BROUILLY ET CÔTE DE BROUILLY
ALL THE FLAVOURS OF THE LAND
Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly are internationally celebrated appellations. They are two of the ten Beaujolais Crus, spreading over 1586 hectares from which an average of 9 million of bottles are produced every year.
The grape variety behind both Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. This cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais gives very aromatic wines with fruity, peppery or floral scents and flavours. The vines for both these Crus draw their nourishment from particularly diverse soils, creating an astonishing and unique palette of aromas and flavours.
L’APPELLATION
BROUILLY
Often called “the most southern of the Beaujolais Crus”. Wines from the Brouilly appellation area are rooted in granitic soil to the west, compact rock in the centre and, to the east of Mont Brouilly, ground where the top soil may include alluvium.
To the eye, Brouilly shines out in its ruby red robe that tends towards purple-blue when the terroir is more granitic and gets darker the further to the east its vines grew. Its fruity aromas, with strawberry and raspberry at the fore, carry through to the palate with finesse. Supple and rounded, Cru Brouilly brings together a mosaic of fruity, friendly and easy-to-get-to terroirs. As some vinegrower-winemakers say, “this is a wine to share with friends”, being “enjoyable, well-suited to many dishes, including fish, and may be serves as soon as the spring following the harvest”.
L’APPELLATION
CÔTE DE BROUILLY
With its vines clinging to the slopes of Mont Brouilly, the Côte de Brouilly appellation area is sited where four communes in the Rhône department of France meet: Cercié, Odenas, Quincié-en-Beaujolais and Saint-Lager. The rock that is so visible here is mainly derived from magma and is chemically related to volcanic. Its local names are “cornes vertes” – green ‘horn’ or “pierres bleues” – blue stone..
Dryer than Cru Brouilly, this deep garnet wine boasts a complex palate with aromas of red fruit and floral fragrances (violet, iris, peony) alongside mineral and peppery notes. The mouthfeel is lively and structured: blue stone combined with sunshine, come together to contribute a framework of tannins that underpins a spicy, mineral and powerful personality. After a few years’ cellaring, Côte de Brouilly fills out beautifully with added depth of rounded flavour.
