The Story
Volnay royalty making cru Beaujolais. Frederic Lafarge, of the legendary Domaine Michel Lafarge, and his wife Chantal Vial set up shop in Beaujolais about a decade ago, close enough to home that they farm and vinify it hands-on with the same organic and biodynamic rigor they bring to their grand Volnay reds. Joie du Palais comes from a high-altitude parcel of nearly 70-year-old vines on crumbly pink granite, a third of it so steep it has to be plowed by horse. The result is cru Gamay with a Burgundian accent: elegant, silky, and closer to Pinot than most Beaujolais dares to be. This 2016 needed a few years to unwind and is now sitting in a lovely, mature sweet spot. Drink it for a fraction of what the family's Volnay commands.
Description
Volnay royalty making cru Beaujolais. Frederic Lafarge, of the legendary Domaine Michel Lafarge, and his wife Chantal Vial set up shop in Beaujolais about a decade ago, close enough to home that they farm and vinify it hands-on with the same organic and biodynamic rigor they bring to their grand Volnay reds. Joie du Palais comes from a high-altitude parcel of nearly 70-year-old vines on crumbly pink granite, a third of it so steep it has to be plowed by horse. The result is cru Gamay with a Burgundian accent: elegant, silky, and closer to Pinot than most Beaujolais dares to be. This 2016 needed a few years to unwind and is now sitting in a lovely, mature sweet spot. Drink it for a fraction of what the family's Volnay commands.
