Wines
Summary
Jean-Claude Lapalu assumed control of 9ha of gamay from his father in 1996, and made his first commercial wines in 2000. After having purchased more vines in the mid-2000s, he now farms about 12ha of east- and southeast-facing vines from Mont Brouilly south to the rolling hills of Odenas and Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne. Jean-Claude produces small lots of distinct gamays, each expressing different aspects of the Beaujolais-Villages, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly appellations.
As of the 2010 vintage, the domaine is certified organic through Ecocert and biodynamic methods have also been incorporated. Lapalu’s vines are between an average of 50 and 100+ years of age.
In the winery, the methods used are dependent on the terroir in question: for some cuvées, the harvest is totally de-stemmed, others partially, and others not at all. The carbonic and semi-carbonic macerations are long, lasting around twenty days. The pressing is very gentle and is done using an old press dating from the 19th century. No additives or yeasts are mixed in, even if the fermentation sometimes has difficulty starting off in the concrete vats and amphora containers. Maturation takes place in vats and/or barrels (with no new wood) for up to 10 months. The wines aren’t filtered, and homeopathic doses of sulphur are added at the point of bottling (around 10mg/L), or not at all if possible.
