2015 Domaine de Robert Fleurie Cuvee Tradition 750 ml

Once-In-a-Lifetime Concentration in Fleurie

Several months back, Eric Asimov, the wine critic whose columns in The New York Times remain required reading for collectors and industry cognoscenti, presided over a tasting of 20 bottles of Cru Beaujolais. “The 2014 vintage… was a very good one, maybe even superb,” Asimov wrote. “They can be enjoyed early and fresh, or they can be aged for five to 15 years, and sometimes longer. … Our top wine was from Pascal Brunet’s Domaine de Robert, a producer I don’t remember encountering before, but I will certainly look for this terrific Fleurie in the future.”

While the magnificent Domaine de Robert was previously unknown to Asimov, we’ve been visiting Pascal Brunet every summer since 2009. Last summer, we tasted the NYT’s #1 Under-$20 Cru Beaujolais of the year, as well as more than a dozen other vintages dating back to the early 1970s.

On the tasting table in Fleurie were more than a dozen vintages of Domaine de Robert Fleurie, even his father’s phenomenal 1971 — still delicate and silken, a Cru Beaujolais of great class and distinction. The 2014 blew us away just as it did Eric Asimov of The New York Times. Then there was was Pascal’s about-to-be-released 2015.

Pascal was full of excitement. After all, Les Bourguignons had been blessed with three consecutive great vintages. 2013, a “classic” for Beaujolais lovers — intense fruit, depth, freshness, and structure. 2014, even more seductive, but also quite age-worthy. But in the summer of 2015, conditions seemed almost pittoresque. Steadily warm temperatures through the growing season accelerated ripening, but nighttime lows were quite cool into the weeks before harvest. The call was made on August 24th during a final heat wave that had allowed the fruit to fully ripen — even to the extreme in some regions.

As a result, many wines from the classic crus of Morgon and Fleurie clock in at almost 14% alcohol (very high for Beaujolais standards), even tipping the scales at over 14% in other areas. The finest Morgons and Fleuries have once-in-a-lifetime concentration and structure, seductive dark fruit, and yet are still vivacious, suggesting immediate pleasure and the luxury of longer-term drinking.

For all red Burgundy enthusiasts and bargain hunters, you will not find a finer Cru Beaujolais or red Burgundy under-$20/bottle. Vivid dark red with seductive aromas of black cherry, raspberry, sweet herbs, and spice. Rich, massively structured, and super-concentrated. Filled with crushed red and black fruits, blackberry preserves, rose petals, and spices, finishing with high energy, sturdy tannins, and persistence. This is another phenomenal effort from Brunet. Drink now for its seductive dark-fruited weight, concentration, and freshness or lay it down until the late 2020s!

$26 on release. $15.99 today for The New York Times’ hottest Cru Beaujolais under $20.