Brouilly

The Brouilly appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) is a communal appellation that has been recognized since 1938. Its vineyards cover approximately 1,300 hectares, or 20% of the Beaujolais wine region. Brouilly is the largest and most "southern" of these appellations. The communes entitled to use the appellation are Cercié, Saint-Lager, Charentay, Odenas, Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne, and Quincié. Uniquely for an appellation, none of the communes it covers bears its name. The largest and southernmost of the Beaujolais crus takes its name from Mont Brouilly, where Brulius, a lieutenant in the Roman army, was stationed.

Made exclusively from Gamay noir à jus blanc grapes, Brouilly wines are, of course, red wines. The terroir's soils are poor, acidic, dry, and not very fertile. They have different characteristics depending on the area of the appellation, which gives the wines their character: pink granite, diorite, marl-limestone substrates, crystalline detritus, and fine clay elements. In Cercié, a 22-hectare south-facing hillside produces a wine entitled to the Pisse-Vieille designation, the only recognized climat in Brouilly. Seductive and pleasant, Brouilly is a bistro wine. This is evidenced by its success on Parisian bars: 20% of the total production of the vintage is sold in the Parisian hotel and restaurant network.

As pleasant as it is, Brouilly is nonetheless a quality wine, as evidenced by the products offered by Maison Coquard, Château de la Chaize, Domaine les Roches Bleues, and Domaine du Vissoux.