Domaine Coudert, Fleurie 'Clos de la Roilette'

Mention Fleurie to wine people and somebody will eventually start talking emotionally about Clos de la Roilette. Which is fair enough really, because Domaine Coudert has spent decades making some of the most beloved and distinctive wines in all of Beaujolais.

The estate sits right on the border between Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent, which explains why the wines often carry more structure and depth than people expect from Fleurie’s softer more floral reputation. Under Alain Coudert, the domaine became famous for producing Gamay with serious ageing potential while still keeping all the charm and drinkability that make Beaujolais great in the first place.

Clos de la Roilette wines are packed with dark cherry, raspberry, spice, violets and earthy savoury depth, often carrying a firmer backbone than many neighbouring wines. They can age brilliantly too, developing wonderfully Burgundian complexity over time while still remaining approachable young.

Part of the appeal is how timeless the wines feel. No flashy rebranding, no trend-chasing and no desperate attempts to modernise things unnecessarily. Just old-school Beaujolais made with consistency and confidence year after year.

There’s also something deeply satisfying about wines that overdeliver this hard. Burgundy-level elegance and complexity for a fraction of Burgundy pricing tends to make people very loyal very quickly.

Dangerously easy to drink, annoyingly difficult to stop buying.