Clos de Mez Fleurie Mademoiselle M 2018

Certified Organic
Variety: Gamay
Country Region: France, Burgundy, Beaujolais
Appellation: Fleurie

'First produced in 2015, Mademoiselle embodies with her letter M, a lot of the soul of the domain: the beginning of MEZ, the name of my daughter Maguelone, the story of Fleurie and her Madonna. A desire of gluttony has given birth to it so that the M also at first sight and the first sip. Mademoiselle M, candid and spontaneous, is the silly little sister of the serious La Dot and Château Gaillard, with restraint and righteousness.

For this wine, we do things in a very hands-off way, intervening very little. Winemaking with whole grape bunches; semi-carbonic fermentation in cement vats only. The wine retains its fresh, fruity character; it is bottled after 9 months of maturation, in vats.' Marie-Elodie Zighera-Confuron, Winemaker.

'Ripe and open, this wine has a generous, full-bodied character. Rich black currants and red berries hang together. This attractive wine still has some young tannins that need to soften. Drink from late 2020.' Roger Voss, The Wine Enthusiast.

Clos de Mez is a small estate producing from just 15 hectares of vines, those in Fleurie are located not far from the chapel of La Madone in Fleurie, which is visible from the front courtyard looking north up the very steep hill. Owned and run by Marie-Elodie Zighera-Confuron, who inherited these beautiful old vineyards from her grand-mother which had been passed down through the family for generations and where she had spent time growing up as a child. Marie-Elodie made her first vintage in 2006 after studying viticulture and oenology in Dijon and Montpellier and working for experience at Chateau de la Tour in Clos Vougeot among other places. Marie-Elodie is married to the owner of the famous 3 star Vosne-Romanee estate of Confuron-Cotetidot and she splits her time between the 2 estates.

Just three wines are produced from this small estate which was converted to organic viticulture in 2018. The style of wines produced here is very distinct with the Mademoiselle M cuvee being made in a very vibrant expressive and slurpable style that begs for early consumption for the pure enjoyment of Gamay at its prettiest and most elegant. Made in a semi-carbonic style this is made for early enjoyment while waiting for the other cuvees to become ready. The Fleurie La Dot and Morgon Chateau Gaillard cuvees are both made a very cellar-worthy and more structured style which goes very well with the food of the region - very ‘gourmand’ in style. These latter 2 cuvees have been inspired by Marie-Elodies experience of a 1911 Morgon which she tasted many years ago and which inspired her to make wines like that which would last and evolve for many decades in a good cool cellar. La Dot refers to the inheritance her grand-mother gained - and so that patch of 50 year old vines goes to produce this cuvee, while the Morgon Chateau Gaillard comes from the lieu-dit of the same name which has 80 year old vines. These are both barrel aged (no new barrels) for up to 50% of the wine with 9 months elevage before blending with the tank matured parcel for another 12 months before bottling and resting another 12 months before release. Hence the La Dot and Chateau Gaillard cuvees are always released much later than the Mademoiselle M cuvee.