France

Founded in 1954, this 22 hectare family domaine is masterfully run by Rene Berrod, his daughter, and two sons. “This is Beaujolais at its very best,” comments Robert Parker, summarizing Berrod’s style, “and it gets my highest recommendations.” The vineyard sites are spread across 3 communes: Fleurie, Moulin à Vent and Beaujolais Villages to offer a range of terroirs. The Fleurie comes from a steep, southwest-facing slope with 50 year old vines (average). Harvest tends to come early in this region, and Berrod hand-picks only perfectly mature fruit. Berrod looks for pure elegance in his Fleurie, a wine redolent of violets and ripe red fruits. Parker characterizes the wine as “explosively fruity, rich, velvety Fleurie.”