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Tasting Notes
Medium plus bodied, with elevated tannin and acidity, there is ample structure here and the parts come together well with bramble, red cherry, lavender, rose, must, and licorice, along with a distinctly mineral finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Top Beaujolais producer that delivers even in challenging vintages like 2021.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Gamay
100%Ga-MAY
Gamay is a very old Burgundian variety often overshadowed by Pinot Noir. In the past, Gamay wines were often simple light and fruity wines, but old vine Gamay, especially Cru wines in Beaujolais have the potential to make very serious age-worthy wines with complex red and dark fruit, spice, and floral components at reasonable prices, especially for the serious complexity found in these wines.
Built in the fifteenth century on a volcano, Thivin is the oldest estate on Mont Brouilly, and more importantly, is the benchmark of quality for the Côte de Brouilly. That distinction can be attributed first to Zaccharie Geoffray, who purchased the château in 1877, and his son, who expanded the estate, improved the quality, and played an important role in creating the Côte de Brouilly appellation.
Today the current generation of the Geoffray family carries the torch with dedicated focus on featuring the best of their special terroir. Thivin’s Côte de Brouilly vineyards are mostly south-facing, relatively steep slopes, dedicated completely to Gamay old-vines that average 50 years of age. The soil is plowed and composted regularly, while cover crops are left between some rows to encourage biodiversity, avoiding any use of insecticides.
Each section of the vineyard is harvested and vinified separately to preserve the unique characteristics afforded by the terroir, defined by different altitudes and soils. The family employs traditional whole-cluster fermentation that yields characteristic fruit-driven wines, and then uses gravity flow without being crushed to cuvées. Each vintage spends a few months in large oak foudres before bottling.
Red Berries
Lavender
Musk
Organic
