Jean Claude Lapalu - Brouilly La Croix Rameaux 2022

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Lapalu is the 6th member of the "naturalists." These 6 producers have revolutionized the quality of Beaujolais over the past two decades. Of course, certified organic farming of old vines, lower yields, use of a gentle basket press to crush the grapes, and in many instances zero or 10-20 milligrams of sulfur added just before bottling.

Most of his 22 acres are located in or near Brouilly, the southernmost of the 10 crus and which is among the warmest areas in Beaujolais. Lapalu took over his parent’s Domaine in 1995. It took him a decade or so to learn and apply the naturalistic approach of his older peers. 2022 was a curious and ultimately successful vintage in Beaujolais with early flowering followed by an intensely hot dry summer. The amount of juice in the grapes was less than normal this reducing total yields. On Chapoutier's website, 2022s are characterized as “luscious wines”.

There are no published reviews yet of the 2022s year. I am using John Gilman reviews from similarly very warm vintages (2018 and 2019). Cote de Brouilly, the elevated vineyards well above Brouilly has an earthier, more mineral character than Brouilly itself. (I love them). The cru is named for its proximity, not it's similarity to Brouilly. The Lapalu wines have a great deal of individuality and intensity. Given their excellence the prices remain quite reasonable. Bob Millman email 11/1/2023

Jean Claude Lapalu Description

Jean-Claude Lapalu is revered for his commitment to naturally-farmed, naturally-produced Beaujolais in the southernmost Cru of Brouilly. Nine hectares scattered from Mont Brouilly to Lapalu’s home village of Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne, the “gateway to the Crus”. Lapalu’s patchwork of cuvées are a result of a curious mind, years of experimentation, and perpetually evolving tastes. Today he is more interested in elegance than extraction, and his collection of wines are lively, supple, sinuous, and utterly delicious.

The Croix des Rameaux is made from a handful of special Brouilly parcels, with vines aged between 60 and 90 years. The wine undergoes semi-carbonic maceration for three weeks, before aging in neutral barrel 6-8 months. It is then finished with the tiniest bit of sulfur--10mg at bottling, in order to yield the liveliest, freshest wine possible.