“Clos de l’Amandier” Fleurie 2020 – Domaine Grégoire Hoppenot

Fleurie `Clos de l’Amandier` is sourced from a single vineyard at the south-eastern end of Poncié. This magnificent plot is situated between 280-395 metres above sea level with steep south and south-west facing slopes. The soils are a mixture of granite, sand and shallow, stony clay, which are deep enough to resist hydric stress during the summer. The vines are 15 to 30 years old, with 50% of the plot goblet trained and the remaining cordon.

Grégoire Hoppenot was named ‘Discovery of the Year’ in 2021’s Revue des Vins de France. Following two years as director of the Chapoutier-owned Maison Trénel in Beaujolais, the young Grégoire Hoppenot installed himself in Fleurie, where he has leased nine hectares, along with a small plot in Morgon. His vineyards comprise several enviable parcels: Les Moriers, Les Garants, Poncié, La Roilette and Les Roches in Fleurie, and Corcelette in Morgon. The vineyards are located on poor granite and sandy soils which give the wines a beautiful freshness and precision. They are farmed organically, being two years into the transition to organic certification. Grégoire is meticulous and gentle in both vineyard and cellar. He describes his winemaking as ‘intuitive’, using indigenous yeasts and low sulphur.