Domaine Anita Fleurie Moriers or PonciĆ© – 2019 – sustainable/mostly organic/natural
Domaine Anita is named after Anita Kuhnel who has been making wine under the Domaine Anita since 2015. Today, Domaine Anita includes some of the most prestigious crus of Beaujolais including Moulin Ć Vent, Morgon, ChĆ©nas, Fleurie, as well as some plots located on great terroirs of the Beaujolais-Villages appellation. Anitaās viticultural practices are specific to each plot, but always within her overarching philosophy of sustainable viticulture, with minimal treatments, green harvesting, and strong canopy management.
Anita Kuhnel makes the most site-specific, highest-rated wines in Beaujolais right now. Anita was born and raised in the French Bresse (cult chicken country!), not very far from Beaujolais. Not being from a wine family, nothing predestined Anita to become a vintner. Her first passion in life was actually cycling, which she practiced professionally. This cycling world is where she met her husband in 1996, and she began working with him at the age of eighteen within the one-hectare family estate in Morgon; Anita quickly got the wine bug and for fifteen years, she and her husband catapulted their small plot in Morgon to one of the most elite and sought after in the appellation.
In 2015 Anitaās and her husbandās paths diverged, and she founded her own estate under her own name. With the acquisition of new vineyards and several long term contracts, Anita is now cultivating 18 hectares of vines on the most prestigious crus of Beaujolais including Moulin Ć Vent, Morgon, ChĆ©nas, Fleurie, including plots in many of the most prestigious Lieux Dits within these appellations: Les Caves and Rochelle in Moulin Ć Vent, Moriers and PonciĆ© in Fleurie, Chateau-Gaillard in Morgon, Les Brureaux in ChĆ©nas. With an almost Cistercian approach in the vineyard (one plot/lieux dit = one cuvĆ©e), Anita is working towards the truthful expression of these unique terroirs in a way previously unheard of in the region.
āI am committed to putting all my energy into making the best wines every day,ā Anita declares. āThis is why I chose to opt for plot cultivation, which allows each bottle to reflect the character of each plot. I call it, āMaking the plots talk.ā In the cellar, Anita is assisted by Guy Marion, former head of winemaking at Georges Duboeuf with no less than 52 harvests in Beaujolais. Together they strive to produce terroir-driven wines of the highest quality.
Located in the village of Chenas over Lieu dit les Caves with Granite and Manganese soils and a South/East exposure. Grown at high altitude, the Gamay vineyard is 90 years old and the planting is extremely dense to encourage plant competition for growth. The vineyard is harvested and sorted manually. Vinification is 100% whole clusters.
As traditionally in Beaujolais, the fermentation is made with full cluster, however depending on the cuvƩe in question Anita will bring a proportion of destemmed grapes into the tanks to improve the contact between the juice and the skin and allow a better diffusion of aromatic compounds.
As is a fairly new (and growing) approach with old vine Gamay on Cru sites in Beaujolais, Anitaās wines are made using the Burgundian Technique rather than via Semicarbonic Maceration. For an excellent breakdown of this by Roger Voss, click here ā It is a very clear and concise look at the subject.
Fleurie Les Moriees: Originating from younger vines located on Lieu- Dit Les Moriers at 230 meters of altitude, this bottling is macerated with full clusters to preserve freshness. It offers plenty of crunchy fruits and violets, the mouth is silky and elegant with a great freshness and offers a bouquet of dark fruits, minerals and flowers on the finish. Vintification is 100% whole cluster and the semi-carbonic maceration is 11 days. Aging takes place in cement tanks for six months and the wine remains for approximately three months in bottle before it is released. Les Moriers has always been one of the most famous terroirs of Fleurie. Its granite soil yields a wine with floral and spicy aromas from its birth. On the palate, this cuvƩe develops tannins of incredible flavor and finesse.
91 points, Wine Enthusiast Floral and opulent, this wine has great fruits and just a touch of structure. It comes from a single vineyard at an elevation of 600 feet and promises a generous future. Drink this black-cherry-flavored wine from late 2021
Fleurie PonciƩ: Coming from single-vineyard Ponci , these 45 year old Gamay vines located on sandy granitic soils offer a very elegant Fleurie dominated by flowery hints, sweet licorice, and dark ripe fruits. The grapes are harvested and sorted manually. Vintification is 100% whole cluster and the carbonic maceration is 12 days. Aging takes place in cement tanks for six months and the wine remains for approximately three months in bottle before it is released.
92 points, Wine Enthusiast From the sector of PonciƩ in Fleurie, this elegant wine has minerality as well as a structure that needs to age and soften. It also offers berry fruits, bright acidity, and a floral aftertaste