Moulin-a Vent

"King of the Beaujolais wine"

The highest rated of all the Beaujolais Crus, full-bodied and complex,

South-southeast of Chénas, on the 200-meter slopes above the town of Romanèche-Thorin, lie the vineyards of Moulin-à-Vent and the first of the famous appellations that arguably make up the heart of the cru zone. Like Juliénas, Moulin-à-Vent has only enjoyed official AOP status since the mid-1930s, but its wines were well-known even in antiquity. Today, it is a relatively large cru, spready over 600ha and counting nearly three hundred growers. It is undoubtedly the darkest, most masculine, tannic and age- worthy of all the crus, giving rise to its occasional moniker, ‘the King of Beaujolais’.

Partly, this is due to the prevailing style of the region, which favors a more Burgundian-style vinification with longer, traditional macerations. Yet also equally impactful are the region’s soils, which are composed primarily of pink granite bedrock—similar to what is found in Fleurie, Régnié and Chiroubles. In Moulin-à-Vent, however, these soils are suffused with quartz veining consisting of high levels of manganese and other rare metals; there is some as-yet-unproven speculation that this aspect of the terroir here contributes to the sturdy character of the wines.

The bands of manganese are also sometimes speculated to contribute to the expressive aromatic profile of the cru, which veers most often to clean flavors of dark plum and purple flowers such as violets. As the wines age, a dark, spicy, earthy character emerges behind the fruit and flowers, and over time the wines begin to take on a distinctly Pinot Noir-ish character. Indeed, this effect is so widespread and clear that the locals even have a verb for this subtle conversion: pinoter.

Mainly facing east, Moulin-à-Vent is found 750 to 1,280 feet above sea level. Made up of crumbly pink granite called gore, its soil has seams of manganese that give Moulin-à-Vent its specific character. Across more than two square miles, 280 growers produce an average of 4.25 million bottles a year.

The Mâcon courts first registered Moulin-à-Vent in 1924 in an effort to combat counterfeit wines. The appellation area has never changed and today’s wine is produced from the same granite-based soil. A windmill that was classified as a historical monument in 1930 is the well-known symbol of the Cru.

Some Famous Chateau or Negociant such as Georges Duboeuf, Chateau des Jacques that owned by Louis Jadot, Paul et Eric Janin, Richard Rottiers, Domaine Labruyere and etc. some famous climats such as Chassignol, Les Deschamps, Deschanes, Au Michelonand etc。

Ref.:

https://www.discoverbeaujolais.com/discover-the-wines/intense-and-generous/cote-de-brouilly/

https://beaujolais.com/en/article/video-aoc-cote-de-brouilly

http://www.clubcrusbeaujolais.com/crus.html