DOMAINE GREGOIRE HOPPENOT

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and Christmas and Chanukah right around the corner, we’re ending the year with a pair of wines from a newer producer of Cru Beaujolais who has quickly made a name for himself. He received “Discovery of the Year” from Revue du Vin de France in 2020 after only two vintages, and his wines are now sought after throughout Europe and the East Coast.

Founded in 2018 in Fleurie, Domaine Grégoire Hoppenot has rapidly emerged as one of the most exciting names in Beaujolais. After years of experience in Burgundy and Beaujolais, Grégoire Hoppenot established his own domaine, now covering around 10 hectares across some of the region’s finest crus, including Fleurie and Morgon. After gaining experience at Domaine Chermette, Maison Trénel, and Cave des Vignerons de Bel-Air, Grégoire struck out on his own and immediately began to gain recognition in the wine world, receiving high scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate in his first vintage. His philosophy is centered on organic farming, low intervention, and parcel-by-parcel vinification, creating wines that are deeply expressive of their granite-based terroirs. The result is elegant wines with freshness, energy, and silky tannins that are ready to drink now while maintaining strong aging potential.

Situated on the western side of the Beaujolais hills overlooking the Saône River Valley, vineyards in Fleurie are planted on south- and southeast-facing slopes of pink granite soils. At higher elevations, the soil tends to be rougher and sandier, creating light, elegant wines with floral and red-fruited notes. On the lower slopes, richer clay soils produce denser, more structured wines, at times resembling Moulin-à-Vent to the east. Like much of this part of France, winemaking here dates back as far as the 1st century BC, with Benedictine monks maintaining and tending the vineyards from the 7th to the 10th centuries, producing wine largely for themselves and local lords. These sites were expanded by the Lyonnais bourgeoisie in the 15th century, and by the 1700s Beaujolais wines were sought after by merchants in Lyon, with the name Fleurie appearing in written reports. In 1927, a decree precisely defined the wine-growing area of Fleurie, leading to the official creation of the Fleurie AOC in 1936 and the definitive consolidation of the appellation as one of the  Beaujolais crus.

Santé,

Justin Malesheetz, Fillmore Wine Buyer