Beaujolais Fleurie 2013

-- John Gilman: The Grillé Midi is considered one of the top lieux à dits in Fleurie, as it is a granitic amphitheater where the grapes obtain optimal ripeness. Monsieur Brun chooses to treat this wine like a Côte d’Or red, fully destemming the grapes and then fermenting them with several punchdowns. The 2013 is a very young and very promising example of the vintage, with a deep and structured nose of cherries, cranberries, venison, bonfires, a superb signature of granitic soil, fresh herb tones, roses and a topnote of cherry skin. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nascently complex, with an excellent core of red fruit, a fair bit of ripe tannin, good acids and fine focus and grip on the long and primary finish. Give this excellent and quite structured Fleurie some extended time in the cellar to really come into its own, but it will be excellent when it is ready for primetime drinking. 2018-2035. 92+/100

Lobenberg: Himbeere, Sauerkirsche und feine Gewürznoten steigen ätherisch aus dem Glas empor. Schon das Nasenbild hat eine Aura, die diesen Beaujolais zu einem Erlebnis macht. Ein Fleurie mit Assoziationen an einen Beaune Village, unglaublich, traumhafte Wucht. Die Feinheit der Säure ist einmalig. Hier bekommt man aufgezeigt, was Finesse im Wein wirklich bewirken kann. Ein absolut einmaliger Wein, noch nie so erlebt im Beaujolais, ein Wein, den jeder mal probiert haben sollte! 93-94+/100

-- Galloni: Bright violet. Vibrant raspberry, potpourri and Asian spices on the perfumed, sharply focused nose. Juicy and sweet on the palate, offering incisive strawberry and raspberry flavors, a hint of star anise and silky texture. Finishes spicy and very long, with supple tannins and a clinging note of candied flowers. Nicely concentrated and precise Fleurie, with the heft and balance to age. -- Josh Raynolds 92/100

-- Parker: The 2013 Fleurie comes from a 5-hectare parcel from which the “Classic” and “Grille-Midi” come. Matured in concrete vats, it has a ripe, generous bouquet with crushed strawberry and red currant scents, forward and inviting. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and linear for a Fleurie, emphasizing the tension and race on the finish rather than fruit intensity. Give this a couple of years in bottle at least, and you should have a vibrant and compelling Fleurie. 91/100