Domaine de Botheland, Brouilly
When he is not talking on the phone or helping other winegrowers with this and that or doing cross training, Rémi Dufaitre spends his time making fantastic wines! He’s also one of the nicest and most generous people we know!
Rémi was only 20 years old when he bought his first hectare of Beaujolais Villages in 2001. He had already then gone through a good school by doing an internship with Jean Foillard and Jean-Claude Lapalu. He continued to help Lapalu and did his own vinification in Lapalu’s cellar while he, bit by bit, purchased what today is his and his ex-wife’s, Laurence, domaine.
Rémi was determined to let his vineyards get a proper detox from chemicals before letting them end up in his hands. He sold off all the grapes the first years and didn’t do his own wine until 2007, when he considered his vineyards to be healthy enough. Today Rémi and Laurence are farming 16 hectares of organic vineyards. Both their winery and his house are located just next to the border of Brouilly, in the village of Saint-Etienne-des-Oullières. Remi has a lot of friends in the whole region – there are always friends dropping by to have a chat and share a bottle or three.
Rémi and Laurence make Beaujolais Villages from vineyards just south of their domaine; Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly and since 2015 they also have 1 hectare in Juliénas.
Brouilly, and especially Côte de Brouilly, has a larger proportion volcanic soil than any other Beaujolais crus, as it had the last active volcano in Beaujolais.
Those wines are slender with lovely fruit, nice depth, fine tannins and fresh acidity. The drinkability is sky high.
2022 Blanc
Soil: Granite, sand and gravel
Grape: Chardonnay
Appellation: Beaujolais Villages
Age of Vines: Planted 2000
Vinification: Direct press followed by fermentation and ageing in concrete tanks until bottling in May 2023.
Lo & Re Beaujolais Villages N
Soil: Granite, sand and gravel
Grape: Gamay
Appellation: Beaujolais Villages
Age of Vines: Planted in 1983
Vinification: 16 days of carbonic maceration then aged in concrete tank and bottled third week of October.
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 Premices (2022 also in 20 liter K-keg)
Soil: Granite, sand and gravel
Grape: Gamay
Appellation: Beaujolais Villages
Age of Vines: Planted in 1983
Vinification: 16 days of carbonic maceration then aged in concrete tank until bottling in February the year following harvest.
2020, 2021 Brouilly (2021 also in magnum bottle)
Soil: Granite and volcanic
Grape: Gamay
Appellation: AOC Brouilly
Age of Vines: Planted in 1953-1958
Vinification: 18 days of carbonic maceration then aged in old 2000-liter wood barrels. Bottled in March the year following harvest.
2020, 2021 Côte Brouilly
Soil: Granite and volcanic
Grape: Gamay
Appellation: AOC Côte Brouilly
Age of Vines: Planted in 1948-1968
Vinification: 18 days of carbonic maceration then aged in old barriques. Bottled in March the year follwing harvest.
2022 Cuvée Boldness
Soil: Granite and volcanic
Grape: Gamay
Appellation: AOC Côte Brouilly
Age of Vines: Planted 1948
Vinification: 18 days of carbonic maceration then aged in old barriques. Bottled in March the year following harvest.
Extras: This is made from a selection of grapes from older vines situated at the very top of Côte Brouilly.
2021 1000F
Soil: Granite and volcanic
Grape: 50% Gamay 50% Chardonnay
Appellation: AOC Côte Brouilly
Age of Vines: Planted in 1983-2008
Vinification: 15 days of maceration carbonique followed by ageing in barriques until bottling i April 2022.