2020 Moulin-à-Vent Cuvée Couvent des Thorins, Château du Moulin-à-Vent

Château du Moulin-à-Vent produces a range of remarkable single parcel wines but they require years to reach their apogee. On the other side of the coin, Couvent des Thorins, blended from numerous parcels around the village, principally with deeper, clay-rich soils, is ready to drink this side of the centenary. 

It’s vinified with a higher proportion of whole-bunches than their single-vineyard wines and raised exclusively in tank, for purity of fruit bar none. 

The resulting wine boasts classic Gamay aromas of violets, red summer fruits and black pepper. The palate is juicy and giving, yet mineral – with the characteristic granitic grip of the Beaujolais Crus – and immensely fresh and moreish.  

Indeed, for Edouard Parinet, 2020 was a superb vintage, with ‘a bit of everything… freshness and fruit.’ A versatile food match or a wine to enjoy on its own at cellar temperature, it is drinking quite brilliantly now. 

So, raise a glass to Moulin-à-Vent, an appellation with a rich history but one whose golden years have only just begun.