2019 Domaine du Clos du Fief Tradition Julienas Beaujolais 750 ml

Juliénas is the oldest and very first Cru of Beaujolais. Named for Julius Caesar, winemaking there goes back 2,000 years to the Gallo-Roman Empire. These diverse soils have always been lusted over—covering just two square miles of vineyards, Juliénas has 120 producers fighting for its prized, increasingly expensive grapes.

Yet only Michel Tête’s wines were dubbed “the class of Juliénas” in the New York Times.

Tête’s absolutely smoking 2019 Cuvée Tradition Cru stands tall alongside its price peers from that story. It’s a dark-fruited beauty that’s as delicious out of the gate as it is ripe for medium-term aging, leaping from the glass with blueberry, black plum, and candied raspberry notes that seem to expand in all directions. 

Domaine du Clos du Fief is a fourth-generation Cru estate in Juliénas run by Michel Tête and his son Sylvain. The Tête family works the old-fashioned way, following quasi-Burgundian techniques for this wine, with a partial carbonic maceration employed to highlight the Gamay’s freshness.

As the owner of a small estate that’s passed hands for several generations, Michel has enjoyed the rare luxury that comes with ignoring the trends that have pushed pricing up for almost all his neighbors. He never boarded the Beaujolais Nouveau train, so he keeps his yields low and the quality high within his sandy-clay soils by maintaining meticulous attention to his Juliénas vineyards—without having to make up costs along the way.

A Cru Beaujolais steal, we’re not waiting for this vintage of Domaine Du Clos Du Fief Cuvée Tradition to beat its last vintage’s Vinous score before we stock up.