Shimmering ruby. Powerful blackberry, cherry and licorice aromas are complicated by suggestions of smoky minerals and violet. Well-concentrated and broad in the mouth, offering bitter cherry and dark berry flavors enlivened by a snap of cracked pepper. Slowly building tannins frame the finish, which lingers with very good, dark-fruit-driven persistence.\n \n Producer Information\n Château du Moulin-à -Vent is a leading Beaujolais estate in the appellation with which it shares its name. It has been ranked in the Top 10 Domains by French critics Bettane & Desseauve, and in the world's top 100 wineries by Wine & Spirits Magazine. Half a dozen or more different expressions of Moulin-à -Vent wines are made from the Gamay grape. First documented in 1732, for centuries the estate was known as Château des Thorins, as it is situated on the hill of Les Thorins, one of the most renowned vineyard areas in the Beaujolais region. By the end of the century the wine was a favorite in the French royal court. The name was changed with the creation of the appellation in 1936. The oft-photographed windmill from which the name derives also sits on the same hill In total there are 37 hectares (91 acres) of estate vineyards with parcels split across the finest sites in the AOC zone. Yields are set low at 1600 to 3200 liters per hectare, against the maximum authorized yield of 5200 liters. The current range begins with the Couvent des Thorins bottling, with 10 percent oak aging and fruit sourced from a trio of plots. Next is the main château cuvée from a different quintet of estate sites, including les Thorins, and 40 percent aged in oak barrels. After this come three single-vineyard wines, Champ de Cour, Croix de Vérillats and La Rochelle. These see some new oak. The portfolio is topped by Le Clos de Londres, from a single parcel of 0.56 hectares (1.38 acres) on weathered granite soils close by the château itself. It is aged for 18 months in barrels, half of which are new and is only released in the best vintages. Introduced with the trio of single-vineyard wines by the Parinet family (who took over the property in 2009), the name refers to the 1862 Universal Exhibition in London. Here the 99-year old Madame Philiberte Pommier showed the château's wines, winning the gold medal for "Vins du Mâconnais". She had identified the plot as being of particular high quality. Domaine du Roc des Boutires in the neighboring Mâconnais region is also under the ownership of the Parinet family.
