100% Gamay, Domaine Les Cardinaux sits on an outstanding terroir on the Côte de Brouilly AOC area. The 2.4 hectares of vine are grown on the slopes of Mont Brouilly (484 meters high) facing 359° north. The soils are made up of volcanic and plutonic rocks and we find in our plot the famous Côte de Brouilly blue stones composed of hard schist and diorite.

This beautiful example of one of Beaujolais finest Cru's is  elegant, medium-bodied with fresh fruit and peppery,  complex, smoky and saline aromas and flavors.

Pair with: roast chicken, turkey, or goose | pan-seared duck breasts | grilled pork or lamb | vegetarian dishes | spring salads | lamb | meat stuffing | grilled pork | green beans | Asian dishes | vegetable tagine

The bucolic region often identified as the southern part of Burgundy, Beaujolais actually doesn’t have a whole lot in common with the rest of the region in terms of climate, soil types and grape varieties. Beaujolais achieves its own identity with variations on style of one grape, Gamay.

Gamay was actually grown throughout all of Burgundy until 1395 when the Duke of Burgundy banished it south, making room for Pinot Noir to inhabit all of the “superior” hillsides of Burgundy proper. This was good news for Gamay as it produces a much better wine in the granitic soils of Beaujolais, compared with the limestone escarpments of the Côte d’Or.

Four styles of Beaujolais wines exist. The simplest, and one that has regrettably given the region a subpar reputation, is Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the Beaujolais wine that is made using carbonic maceration (a quick fermentation that results in sweet aromas) and is released on the third Thursday of November in the same year as harvest. It's meant to drink young and is flirty, fruity and fun. The rest of Beaujolais is where the serious wines are found. Aside from the wines simply labelled, Beaujolais, there are the Beaujolais-Villages wines, which must come from the hilly northern part of the region, and offer reasonable values with some gems among them. The superior sections are the cru vineyards coming from ten distinct communes: St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly. Any cru Beajolais will have its commune name prominent on the label.