April 25, 2024
Dutraive
Who/where are they?
— Jean Dutraive purchased Domaine de la Grand’Cour in 1969 and his son, Jean-Louis joined the team in 1977, taking over in 1989. The estate, the oldest in Fleurie, is comprised of around 22 acres divided between 3 contiguous terroirs: Grand’Cour, Chapelle des Bois, and Champagne. They also have about 4 acres in Brouilly that has been in their family for 5 generations.
What are they making?
— The Dutraive lineup includes some of the most aromatically and texturally unique wines in all of Beaujolais. Jean-Louis is a true master of Gamay and has been fondly referred by his peers as the “heart of Beaujolais”. His son Justin and daughter Ophélie have joined him in continuing the family passion, with Ophélie at the helm in recent years.
— The estate became certified organic in 2009, but they’d been practicing organic for decades prior.
Why do we love them?
— The family are regarded as trailblazers in natural viticulture and they continue to serve as a shining example of farmers who work in tandem with nature. Harvest is done by hand, fermented with indigenous yeast, gravity fed into used Burgundy barrels and cement tanks for aging, SO2 is rarely added and no fining or filtration is used. In the words of Jean-Louis, they practice "low intervention, high surveillance" winemaking.
— We’re always honored to have these highly allocated wines grace the shelves at Stanley’s. They’re a convergence of wild and free personality with a seriousness of purpose, oozing with charm and genuine character. We have a very small amount of each so get them while you can!
-Michelle-
