2016 Chateau Cambon Beaujolais 750 ml

Beaujolais Stunner from Kingpin Trifecta

The 2016 Château Cambon Beaujolais is the wine that New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov has been waiting for: By the time he and his accomplished panel had crowned the 2015 Cambon at their tasting of 20 different Beaujolais, most of it had been snapped up by NYC somms. Cambon is “the kind of wine,” according to Eric Asimov, “that you simply don’t want to stop drinking.” It is pure Beaujolais — the bright and tangy product of 100-year-old vines and the visionary producers who saw their region’s potential when no one else seemed to. The bright and earthy 2016 Cambon — produced biodynamically and organically — not only represents the best of Beaujolais tradition, at $18.99 it is one of the best Beaujolais values we’d come across in some time. Just 100 cases.

In the late 20th century, when many Beaujolais winemakers were complacent and content with producing unremarkable bulk juice, Marcel Lapierre, Joseph Chamonard, and their circle were restless, stubborn, and innovative. Dedicated to marrying Beaujolais tradition with modern oenological techniques, these followers of natural wine pioneer Jules Chauvet were responsible for the region’s resurgence.

Lapierre, Chamonard, and their partner Jean-Claude Chanudet saw something special in the 100-year-old vines and argile-granite and calcareous-sand soils of a 30-acre stretch between Morgon and Brouilly. Undeterred by its location outside of any cru-designated area, the trio bought the land, expanded the plantings, and got to work.

Now that Lapierre and Chamonard have passed on, Chanudet and his wife Geneviève maintain the estate and follow the founding doctrine closely: The estate is biodynamic and organic. The vines are treated without chemicals. Natural yeasts and minimal sulfur are used. One harvested, pressed and fermented, the wine is then aged in foudres that are a mind-blowing 200 years of age.