2022 Mommessin Grandes Mises Fleurie Beaujolais 750 ml

Despite the region’s long-standing reputation for fun, fruit-forward sippers, Beaujolais’ ten crus produce Gamays that “can stand against many fine Burgundies,” according to Wine Enthusiast. Among them, none produces more ethereal, supple, and hauntingly aromatic expressions than the cru known as “the Queen of Beaujolais.”

Fleurie is renowned for its wines’ elegance and floral character, and Mommessin’s 2022 Grandes Mises has both in spades. Grown on 50-year-old vines, it’s silky, bright, and energetic, with red fruit on a bed of fine tannins and a swell of brisk acidity carrying everything to a long, floral finish. This is everything that’s long made cru Beaujolais—and Fleurie in particular—a darling among those in the know. 

The grape here is Gamay, which composes 98% of Beaujolais’ vineyards. Rarely do you see such a perfect marriage of grape and region—Gamay is incredibly versatile, and Beaujolais crus have the diverse terroir to let it run the gamut of its expressions. Earth-tinged power from Moulin-à-Vent. Robust density from Morgon. In Fleurie, planted at elevation and rooted in pink granite soils, it takes on a lighter-bodied refinement, and that terroir has put seven of Fleurie’s lieux-dits in contention for Premier Cru classification.

Beaujolais wines have been on a decades-long rise in international renown. Although big names have been buying up property in and around the region, Mommessin has been making excellent wines there since 1865. They began their Grandes Mises line to showcase different Beaujolais crus in complex, age-worthy wines that rival their Burgundian neighbors. A sip of this 2022 Fleurie is all you need to know they succeeded. It’s a tantalizing representation of not just the Fleurie cru, but of the quality coming out of cru Beaujolais.