Beur Blanc, Beaujolais-Villages Blanc is a 100% Chardonnay. Clear, bright light gold colour. Super pretty nose, citrus, pear, apple and white flowers. The palate has a lovely texture, bright, fresh with similar aromas to those found on the nose. Overall really delicious.
KARIM VIONNET, VILLIÉ-MORGON
Organic Principles, Natural
Karim’s path has been lined with luminaries of the French winemaking world. He did not grow up in a winemaking family, but he was friends with the nephew of Marcel Lapierre since childhood. At the age of 10, he started working in the vineyards to make some pocket money. After service as a French paratrooper and a short stint as a baker, Karim worked for Jean Foillard. He has also trained under Guy Breton. Karim was granted a rare opportunity to farm a vineyard parcel owned by Jules Chauvet, father of the French natural wine movement, which is the basis for his “Du Beur Dans Les Pinards” Beaujolais-Villages. From his experiences around these winemakers, he knew from the time he decided to go into winemaking that he wanted to make his wines naturally. He started his own brand in 2006.
When Karim decided he wanted to start making wine, he realized it was impossible for him to find land, so he found parcels to source fruit from and leased space for which he could use to produce his wines. Today, he grows most of the fruit for his wines himself. He oversees the organic farming and vinification of approximately 8 hectares around Beaujolais, most of which are home to 40 to 60-year-old vines. Karim’s vineyards are all bush vines. Karim utilizes full carbonic maceration in fermentation, and he does not use oak barrels on any of his wines. To ensure that his wines can be safely made with only a minimum amount of added sulphur, Karim keeps his tanks airtight during fermentation and maturation, only releasing the carbon dioxide moments before bottling. He feels that this, coupled with careful natural temperature control, preserves the fruit and purity of his Gamay grapes. Unnecessary intervention, both in the vineyard and during fermentation, are avoided, emphasizing high quality and terroir driven wines
Karim’s parcels are located in the villages of Quincié, Beaujeu and Lantignié, on very varied types of soil, ranging from marls, schists, granite and sand. Since 2020, his daughter Noemie and son Quentin have joined the estate, and proud dad Karim hasn’t stopped smiling since.