Vieilles Vignes Moulin-à-Vent Gamay

Brought to Au Courant from our cellar to celebrate our daughter’s 15th birthday. As far as I can tell, 2009 was the first commercially available vintage of Thibault’s foray into Moulin-a-Vent so this was fun to try since I’ve been a big fan of his work there.

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service. The 2009 VV pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity and some light staining of the tears. There were some signs of sediment but most had been decanted off. On the nose, the wine is…well…pretty wild with notes of horse blanket and there’s just a touch of varnish in there too. For me, it’s teetering on the edge of, “is this charming or is this overbearing”? However, since there was more there than just a cow pasture and I don’t get any gerbil cage, I’ll leave this in the “charming” camp but I digress…back to the notes from the nose. The wine is developing, with dark crunchy berries, dark cherries, sandalwood...some pepper, some leather and light notes of potting soil. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. The first glass showed a touch of effervescence like there could have been a slight refermentation in the bottle. Confirming the notes from the nose though it seems cleaner on the palate with some granite minerals on the finish. Interesting, it’s almost like this was semi-carbonic but as far as I know, Thibault has been making these wines using the same methods as he does his GC wines in Nuits-Saint-Georges so I don’t know. And this is why I like this wine. It’s making me think...and it’s been enjoyable throughout the meal, working particularly well with our strip steak. Yum! A really fun wine for those that enjoy something a little more rustic. That being said, I know it wouldn’t have pleased everyone. There is plenty of gas left in the tank and while this drinks very well now, I would expect that this will continue to drink well through 2029 with ease.

One of my favorites in the in Bourguignon-style of Beaujolais are those of Thibault Liger-Belair. What I adore about Thibault’s approach is that his winemaking philosophy seems to suit M-à-V so well. Popped and poured; no formal notes. The 2016 “Moulin-à-Vent VV” is full of the undeniable dark fruit and structure and yet, incorporates a funky charm that seems to bridge Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaujolais perfectly. To my palate, these 2016 VV’s are just entering the early part of their drinking window. I still think this is developing and it will take another few years before the secondary characteristics begin to show and that’s when the magic really starts to show with these wines. All of the pieces and parts are there…all that is required at this point s a little more patience. Good now but better with a little patience and after 2026. Should be awesome well through 2036

My first time trying the 2016 vintage. This bottle was opened about 90min before service. The wine pours a deep garnet, fading to magenta, with a watery rim. It has a slightly turbid appearance and a nearly opaque core with slight, staining of the tears. On the nose, holy whole cluster city Batman! This Moulin-à-Vent is not faking the funk on a nasty dunk. Notes of dark fruit, curry, cheese rind, wet asphalt, and minerals. Fabulous acid and medium+ tannin. The finish is long, lingering, and slightly green. I fell in love with Thibault’s wines from M-à-V with the 2010 vintage and I’ve been smitten ever since. They are among the most exciting wines made in the Cru today. In 3-5 years, these will really slap.

Serious Moulin-à-Vent. Tense, firm structure and lingering intensity. Some mild reduction on the nose leads right into raspberries, violets, spice, leather and crushed stones. Mineral-tinged flavors of creme de menth, dark cherries, cocoa and herbs. This is a powerful and elegant bottle that is superb for aging and offering tons of expression right now. Highly recommended if you can find it.

Popped and poured. My heavens...this is a treat to smell. Raspberries, quetsche and spice and it's all right there and in the right proportions. On the palate, I'm immediately struck at the structure. This is not some flimsy Beaujolais. In fact, this is more serious than many 1er Cru I've had from the Cote du Beaune! Tightly wound red fruit in abundance but there's more hanging out in the wings...it's hard to really pinpoint right now but I think all will eventually be revealed, with time. Tannins are still surprisingly firm. Such is the balance of this wine that I expect it to be drinking well into the next decade. These are worthy of being sought out. Drink with some patience or Hold.

Reticent and brooding on opening. After a two hour decant assertive aromas of potpourri and cane berries. On the palate, black raspberry, creme de violette and stones. Really quite distinctive and exceptional.

Some volatility at first but opened-up nicely with time.

Love some gamay

This is a serious Gamay with nice structure and a lot going on.

Grand, très grand vin.