Domaine Mee Godard Les Michelons AOC Moulin à Vent Tinto 2021

Les Michelons comes from Mée Godard in Moulin-à-Vent, the Beaujolais cru long regarded as the firmest and longest-lived of the ten. The fruit grows on granite soils with veins of manganese, the mineral the cru is associated with, which is held to give its wines their depth and structure. Mée Godard farms biodynamically and organically, working old vines that yield small crops of concentrated fruit, while the continental climate and cool nights preserve the acidity that keeps a powerful wine balanced. Made in the serious Burgundian style rather than as carbonic Nouveau, the wine ages sixteen months in barrel, longer than her village wines, the extended élevage allowing slow oxygen exchange through the wood to refine the tannins and build savoury, spiced complexity around the fruit. The colour is deep ruby. The nose offers dark cherry and plum over black pepper, crushed stone and dried herbs. The palate is structured and concentrated, with firm but fine tannins, fresh acidity and a long, savoury finish that rewards a few years in the cellar. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees, decanting half an hour ahead, with roast pork, duck, game or grilled red meat.