Louis Leyre Loup Les Granits des Bellevue

Grape: Viognier
Region: Beaujolais, France
Vintage: 2024
Body: Full
Sweetness: Dry
Style: Aromatic
ABV: 12%

A rich, aromatic Viognier grown on granite soils in the heart of Beaujolais. Ripe apricot and yellow peach lead into white flowers, almond and a touch of honey, with a full, creamy texture balanced by enough freshness to keep everything lifted. The finish turns gently nutty and savoury, making this a Viognier with plenty of weight without feeling overdone.

Leyre-Loup is best known for its Morgon and Fleurie, but Les Granits de Bellevue is their rather unusual white wine. The Viognier is planted on the granite soils of Bellevue, right in the heart of the Morgon appellation, where the domaine found the grape particularly well suited to the poor, demanding soils.

The winemaking is split between tank and large-format oak. The tank portion preserves freshness and acidity, while the demi-muids bring roundness and texture. It gives you the lush, stone-fruited character Viognier is known for, but with a distinctly mineral backbone from the granite.

Viognier from Morgon? Not exactly what you'd expect. Rich, peachy, a little nutty and a very good reason to look beyond Gamay in Beaujolais.