Fleurie "Abbaye Road" 2020 Marc Delienne | Beaujolais

Marc Delienne 's Fleurie Abbaye Road takes its name from the rue de l'Abbaye in Fleurie, where the winemaker settled in 2015. This choice is not insignificant: it marks the desire to make this cuvée the backbone of the wine estate, linking the identity of its parcels to the purest expression of Gamay. Here, old vines ranging in age from forty to over eighty sink their roots into granitic soils mixed with silt and alluvium. Their deep roots and the diversity of the plots give this wine an identity that is both precise and subtle, true to the elegance of the Fleurie cru. Domaine Marc Delienne uses organic and biodynamic viticulture methods, cultivating each grape with care. Harvesting is strictly manual, with precise sorting, and winemaking is based on whole-bunch maceration, using only the indigenous yeasts present on the berries. Patient ageing for around 11 months in foudres, demi-muids and 5-wine barrels creates an exceptional cuvée with a balance of intensity and delicacy.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Marc Delienne 's Abbaye Road cuvée illustrates the winemaker's precision in combining concentration and freshness with such refinement. The blend of different parcels from the Fleurie wine estate concentrates an impressive density of fruit and aromatic verticality. The wine's evolution after several years of ageing reveals all the purity of these renowned terroirs, and places it among the great expressions of Fleurie.

On the nose, the wine reveals an airy, floral grace, where violets and irises blossom amid juicy red and black fruits. Scents of fine spices enriched by an elegant hint of graphite add further aromatic tension to this refined bouquet.

Purity of fruit and invigorating freshness run through the palate from the outset. The supple, voluptuous texture coats the palate with fine, perfectly blended tannins. The harmony between concentration and freshness is confirmed on the perfectly balanced finish: both fleshy and airy, offering a delicious persistence of violets, black fruits and sweet spices.