Moulin-à-Vent 'Couvent des Thorins', Château du Moulin-à-Vent 2023

At a total of 640 hectares, Moulin-à-Vent is the fourth largest of the ten Beaujolais Crus. With a wealth of old vines and a reputation for producing concentrated, age-worthy wines, Moulin-à-Vent has attracted significant investment in recent years from Burgundian producers including Thibault Liger-Belair. As the eponymous windmill suggests, the vineyards, which lie at an average 255 metres asl, tend to be well-exposed and windy. The soil here is a complex patchwork of pink granite, sandstone, limestone and deep pockets of clay.

This property continues to go from strength to strength under the dynamic stewardship of Edouard Parinet. Its 30 hectares of vines are divided into no fewer than 130 different parcels. The majority lie on shallow, sandy soils atop pink granite and quartz; terroir typical of Moulin-à-Vent, which is renowned for producing some of the most structured and age-worthy examples of Cru Beaujolais.

Edouard and winemaker Brice Laffond are increasingly focused on producing single parcel wines, including the powerful Clos de Londres and ethereal Les Vérillats. Rather than being dogmatic, Brice and team adapt their winemaking to suit the profile of the vintage. Usually, however, around 40% of the crop is vinified whole bunch and the wines are raised in stainless steel and used barrels (of an average three years old). The outstanding Couvent des Thorins is an open-knit, juicy blend of fruit from clay-rich sites, and is raised exclusively in tank for maximum freshness.

Hailing from a handful of sites on deeper, clay-rich soils, the 2023 is bright, juicy and terroir-driven. It was made with 70% whole clusters (more than in previous vintages) and was raised in stainless steel tanks for maximum freshness.