Domaine Jules Desjourneys Moulin à Vent Chassignol 2012

Domaine Jules Desjourneys is Fabien Duperray's Beaujolais estate, where the former Burgundy negociant makes cru Gamay built to age. Chassignol is a single plot in Moulin-à-Vent, the most structured of the Beaujolais crus, farmed biodynamically. The appellation sits on pink granite streaked with manganese, and this iron and manganese-rich soil is credited with the firm tannins and long life that distinguish Moulin-à-Vent from its neighbours. The free-draining granite stresses the vines and concentrates small berries, while the reductive, low-intervention cellar work preserves fruit and detail. With bottle age since 2012, the wine has gained savoury, spiced complexity. It shows a deep colour and a fruity nose of cherry and violet over spice and earth. The palate is ripe and complex, full-bodied and structured, with firm but resolving tannins, fresh acidity and a long finish that reflects the wine's serious cru character. Serve lightly cool at 16 degrees and decant a mature bottle with care. It suits game, red meat and mushroom dishes.