Beaujolais Villages Nouveau

Beaujolais Villages Nouveau Le Pont du Diable Vinifie Par Junko 2023

Region: Beaujolais, France

Grape: Gamay

Category : Red

A traditional Beaujolais with a delicious taste that will make even Gamay lovers smile

This 23VT Nouveau was produced in a process that involved the well-known Junko Arai, who was involved from harvest to wine making.
I don't know what it tastes like when it first arrives, but when I drank it, I was surprised. It had a perfect balance of flavor and texture... The color and texture are light, but the flavor is strong. The juicy red berry flavor typical of Beaujolais is still there.
This taste with no added SO2 at this price. I decided to buy it immediately.

[Producer information]

Domaine Joubert is so well-known in France that there is no one in Beaujolais who doesn't know the name. This is because Marcel Joubert, the fourth generation owner, was the president of the Beaujolais Wine Association and a pioneer who practiced pesticide-free farming in Beaujolais together with Marcel Lapirre in the 1980s. After graduating from high school, Marcel took over the vineyards in 1972 and learned agriculture through practice instead of going to agricultural college.

At first, they followed the farming method recommended by Cabeco Pélatif, but they felt that something was not quite right, so they switched to organic farming, which no one had tried before. This Domaine is 10 hectares in total, and is located in Brouilly, so it owns not only this AOC, but also vineyards in Beaujolais, Beaujolais Village, Fleurie, Chiroubles, and Morgon, all of which are grown without organic farming. Until Marcel's time, it was 100% Gamay.
Marcel has two daughters, but at the time neither of them had any interest in taking over his winery, so he intended to pass the Domaine on to someone who would continue to use no pesticides.
Meanwhile, our second daughter, who lives in Belgium, got married and had a son. I still remember how happy Marcel was at that time. I can't forget the smile on his face as he happily said, "I've got to keep trying until I'm 70."

Meanwhile, the eldest daughter, Carine, got divorced. She graduated from a local high school and married a man she met at work. She immediately started a family. Typical of the life of a rural woman in Beaujolais, she was a woman who took care of her family for the sake of her two children and her husband. After the divorce, she made a decision. "For my children and for my father, I'll start making wine! I'll take over Domaine Joubert!" However, she had no experience in farming. Although she had seen grape cultivation and winemaking from a young age, she had never actually gone and done it.

So she decided to learn from Marcel thoroughly. That was in 2015, so 2015 was also the first vintage that Carine made while learning winemaking from Marcel. After two years of hard learning, 2015 and 2016, Marcel decided that Carine was okay in 2017 and decided to retire. He officially recognized Carine as the fifth generation, and Carine became the top in all legal matters and in the way the company is run. "I'm just a helper, from now on Carine is the owner," he said jokingly, but he looked relieved but also a little sad.

She is constantly trying new things. She started using amphorae in 2018 and bought a new press in 2019. The previous press was fine for red wine, but the quality of the press affects the taste of white and rosé wines. She also changed her farming methods in 2019. She used to remove pesticide-free weeds by machine and by hand, but now she spreads grass in the spring before the weeds grow, suppressing their growth.

It is a rational farming method, but it is difficult to judge technically and in terms of timing, it is very expensive, and it is also a huge amount of work. It is actually a very difficult farming method. However, as you can see in the photo, we spread a truckload of grass on the fields, and since it was successful in 2019, we increased the number of areas where we spread it in 2020. This includes the fields of Pont du Diable, where I make my Nouveau.

In spring and autumn, she uses sheep to graze the grass, remove the weeds, and spread this grass on other occasions, carefully protecting the fields. Since Carine took over, the brewing method has also been lengthened to include a longer carbonic period, resulting in a purer flavor. She continues to protect and carry on the wonderful fields she inherited from her father with a feminine sensibility.