Les Vignes de Paulette
Beaujolais, Pruzilly, France
 

Les Vignes de Paulette is the story of two friends, Clara Cauquil and Simon Mialon, who joined forces to farm together in Leynes, right at the northern edge of the Beaujolais.
 

The domaine takes its name from Clara's grandmother, Paulette, whose influence is what got the whole adventure started. It became real in 2022, when the pair took over vineyards from Pierre Boyat, a respected natural winemaker in Leynes and Simon's former mentor. Clara had previously worked as a wine retailer, while Simon trained directly under Boyat.
 

Between them they farm 3.5 hectares, certified organic: 2.6 hectares of Gamay and 0.6 of Chardonnay on granite soils in Leynes, plus half a hectare of Chardonnay over the border in Viré-Clessé, on clay and limestone. Grapes are hand harvested into crates, and almost everything goes through whole cluster carbonic maceration under CO2, with the length of maceration decided by tasting the juice day by day rather than a fixed schedule, anywhere from three days to three weeks.
 

Sulphur is used only when the wine genuinely needs it, in their first vintage, 2022, just one cuvée saw any at all, and only during vinification. The wines are playful and honest, built to show Leynes' distinctive, dark edged Gamay at its most vivid.