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Worthy of standing “against many fine Burgundies and at a fraction of the price” according to the Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Voss, these top scoring Beaujolais selections from artisan winemaker Yohan Lardy are among Burgundy’s top values, ranging from a deliciously silky, value priced Chardonnay to an array of meticulously crafted, age worthy red Beaujolais sourced from old vine Gamay and value priced to reach for often over the next decade.
Described as “making high quality wines of craftsmanship and distinction” by the Wine Spectator’s Gillian Sciaretta, fifth generation winemaker Yohan Lardy ranks among the leading young producers of vineyard focused wines in the region, most of his small production portfolio scooped up by his loyal cult following and rarely seen in the U.S. Sourced from hand harvested Chardonnay planted at 150 meters of altitude near the Fleurie Cru, Yohan aged the elegant 93 pt. 2023 Yohan Lardy Beaujolais-Villages Blanc Les Bruyeres for six months on the lees in stainless steel, yielding a “cool, delicate and refreshing” Chardonnay according to James Suckling easily mistaken for a Bourgogne Blanc. Described as “a wonderfully fresh and youthful Fleurie” by James Suckling, the enticing 94 pt. 2023 Yohan Lardy Fleurie Le Vivier comes from vines ranging from 45 to over 70 years of age in the ½ hectare Le Vivier lieu-dit, the 100% Gamay undergoing carbonic maceration in concrete vats using indigenous yeasts before aging 8 months in neutral oak barrels. Among the “best value reds in the world” according to James Suckling and one of the vintage’s highest rated wines from the Chenas Cru, the enticing 96 pt. 2023 Yohan Lardy Chenas Les Deschamps boasts a highly perfumed bouquet of vibrant, concentrated fruit with refined acidity on a long, silky finish, sourced from a tiny .22 hectare parcel at 300 meters above sea level planted with old gnarly Gamay vines averaging 75 years of age and aged in neutral oak for 8 months.Considered the ‘king’ of the ten Beaujolais crus, the elegant 97 pt. 2023 Moulin-a-Vent Les Michelons came from naturally low-yielding, untrellised Gamay vines ranging from 40 to 120 years of agein Yohan's .8 hectare parcel in the wall enclosed Les Michelons lieu-dit and was aged for for 8 months in neutral oak to yield fresh, juicy fruit with earthy richness and soft, plush tannins on an “extremely long and silky finish with fabulous balance and precision” according to James Suckling. Sourced from some of the region's oldest vines, the 2023 Moulin-a-Vent Vielles Vignes 1903 came from a .8 hectare parcel planted in 1903 in the Les Michelons lieu-dit at 300 meters of altitude and were aged in 80-year-old neutral foudre for 12 months before being bottled unfiltered and unfined, yielding age worthy vintage, fresh, powerfully structured Cru Beaujolais with juicy, silky fruit, earthy richness and soft, plush tannins promising to evolve over the next decade and beyond.
Summing up the incredible value of Beaujolais, the Wine Spectator’s Matthew DeBord declared, "These wines are, to put it mildly, a massive bargain” this selection of rare Yohan Lardy wines an opportunity to stock the cellar with a crowd pleasing array of some of Burgundy’s top values and in the words of Vinous critic Neal Martin, fill “your cellar with its finest” at an unbeatable price. |