Yohan Lardy "Le Vivier" Cru Fleurie 2024

A wonderfully fresh and youthful Cru Fleurie Beaujolais, handcrafted with minimal interventio. Bright, wide and airy, with stunningly fresh aromas of summer flowers, blackcurrant and sour cherries, then excellent energy on the sleek but well-structured medium-bodied palate. Wide but fluid, lovely texture. Vibrant, with mineral freshness and dark fruit in the long, fine-grained finish.

Coming from a family of winemakers, Yohan Lardy began his career as a winemaker abroad before returning to France and producing his first vintage in 2012. The domaine is located in Romanèche Thorins in the Beaujolais wine region and today extends over approximately seven hectares of vineyards, including a prestigious two-hectare plot of old vines on the hills of the Cru Moulin à Vent. Yohan Lardy's Fleurie Le Vivier is a youthful and easy-drinking wine made with Gamay grapes from vineyards located in the appellation at approximately 200 meters above sea level on soils of decomposed granite and light sand. After manual harvesting, semi-carbonic fermentation occurs spontaneously in stainless steel and cement vats with indigenous yeasts.

Yohan Lardy is one of Beaujolais' most vibrant young winemakers. The fifth generation in his family to grow wine in the Beaujolais, he is working organically in his vineyards, plowing in between the rows and vines so herbicides aren’t needed. The balance of biodiversity that he maintains makes using insecticides unnecessary. All of this vineyard work, including harvest, is done manually. In the cellar, whole-cluster fermentation begins spontaneously in concrete or polyethylene tanks and lasts up to three weeks. No SO2 is added during fermentation. He then ages his Cru wines in old Burgundy barrels for 8-10 months. His wines are known for their concentration, vivacious nature and bright acidity.

Yohan Lardy’s youthful enthusiasm and charm are practically irresistible. If you subscribe to the notion that the wine matches the winemaker, Yohan’s energy and unguarded good-humor will come as no surprise once you’ve tasted his wines.