Domaine de Thulon

At A Glance

Field: Detail
Region: Beaujolais
Village: Lantignié
Main grape: Gamay
Vineyard size: 17 hectares
Signature wine: Beaujolais Villages Rouge
Defining feature: Reasoned agriculture and year round manual vineyard work

The Producer

Granite soils and Gamay define Domaine de Thulon in Lantignié, Beaujolais. The red range moves from fruity carbonic styles to denser Burgundy styles, while the domaine also makes round, fruity Beaujolais Blanc and the longer, fuller Les Monterniers white.

Carine Ballandras handles commercial operations and Laurent Jambon serves as oenologist. The domaine keeps its wines tied to the character of Gamay, with direct fruit in the lighter bottles and firmer mineral notes in wines from granite ground.

Place

Domaine de Thulon is in Lantignié, in Beaujolais. Its named red wines include Régnié and Chiroubles, while Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Blanc keep the range tied to broader Beaujolais labels.

The range therefore moves from easy drinking Nouveau to bottles with red berry, floral and mineral character. The village name remains constant while the labels cover several levels of Beaujolais wine.

Soil And Site

Lean granite soils give the Gamay mineral notes, direct fruit and a firm line. The Beaujolais Villages Rouge comes from a granite hillside with southwest exposure, a site description that sits alongside its cherry and strawberry character.

Granite is also present in the Régnié vineyard, where a four hectare hillside is planted with 45 year old vines. The wine carries red berry perfume, floral pastille, Asian spice and mineral notes.

Story

Carine Ballandras handles commercial operations and Laurent Jambon serves as oenologist. The domaine assigns its named commercial and cellar roles separately, while certain wines follow a traditional Beaujolais method using whole bunches and carbonic maceration.

Whole bunch vinification leaves intact clusters in the vat, and carbonic maceration encourages vivid fruit in the finished wine. Those bottles occupy the fruity end of a range that also reaches denser Burgundy styles.

Vineyards And Cellar

The current holding covers 17 hectares of vines. Vineyard maintenance requires manual work throughout the year, and the domaine follows reasoned agriculture to preserve the environment.

Beaujolais Villages Rouge is made from 100 percent Gamay, undergoes carbonic maceration and ages in stainless steel. Régnié is also 100 percent Gamay. In that wine, 80 percent of the fruit is destemmed and the wine ages on fine lees. Fine lees ageing can add roundness and texture while keeping the wine's fruit and mineral character in place.

Wines

The range begins with Beaujolais Nouveau, a fruity, easy drinking red, and Boite a Gamay, which brings rich, juicy ripe cherry. The white wines include Beaujolais Blanc, a round and fruity wine, and Les Monterniers, which is long, full bodied and charming.

Beaujolais Villages Rouge and Régnié form the central red range. Chiroubles moves toward concentrated dark cherry and floral notes, with the capacity to age for 5 to 7 years. The bottles cover both immediate fruit and longer cellar development.

In The Glass

Beaujolais Nouveau is fruity and easy drinking. Boite a Gamay brings rich, juicy ripe cherry, with the fruit carrying the wine's central impression.

Beaujolais Blanc is round and fruity, while Les Monterniers is longer, fuller and charming. The white range therefore moves from broad, soft fruit toward greater length and body.

Beaujolais Villages Rouge shows an intense purplish ruby colour, cherry and strawberry aromas, fresh fruit, a slight allspice note and a firm frame. Served slightly chilled, it keeps the fruit clear and delicate.

Régnié is brilliant ruby, with intensely perfumed red berry and floral pastille scents, suave Asian spice and mineral flourishes. The mouthfeel is smooth and round. The 2016 wine adds mature and preserved fruit with a subtle spicy touch.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Beaujolais Villages Rouge. It is 100 percent Gamay from a granite hillside with southwest exposure, made with carbonic maceration and aged in stainless steel.

The bottle puts the domaine's grape, ground and cellar method together in one wine. Régnié and Chiroubles move into separate named cru wines elsewhere in the red range, while this bottle keeps the Beaujolais Villages name and the carbonic style at its centre.

Anecdote

In 1987, Annie and René bought the domaine after spending 20 years as sharecroppers, or métayers, on the property. The purchase covered 8 hectares of vines and the operating buildings. They then established direct bottled sales, moving the business from tenant work to independent production. The business later passed to their two children, keeping the family involved in the domaine after the original purchase. Annie and René had worked the same property for two decades before owning it, so the purchase joined long vineyard experience to control of the vines, buildings and bottles.

Final Word

Domaine de Thulon is a Lantignié domaine where Gamay runs from fruity carbonic wines to denser reds, with granite soils carrying mineral notes and direct fruit through the range.

At A Glance

The Producer

Place

Soil And Site

Story

Vineyards And Cellar

Wines

In The Glass

A Bottle To Understand It

Anecdote

Final Word

Sources

Where to go next