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We had a great visit with Andrew and Emma in November in their cozy cuverie tucked into the ramparts of Beaune. When Fanny Sabre moved to a larger space in Pommard, Andrew jumped at the opportunity to make wine in this historic space, which is now busting at the seams due to increased production of their Du Grappin line of wines from intriguing, exceptional vineyards in Beaujolais. Le Grappin makes maddeningly small amounts of each of their very in-demand wines from Burgundy. Several years of low yields from their Côte de Beaune plots due to devastating hail have kept their production extremely low. Andrew and Emma sell their wines to select restaurants, wine bars, and shops and direct to consumers at weekly markets around London. Le Grappin is now getting more known here in California for a good reason – they make delicious wines people love!

le-grappin-smallPart of what makes Le Grappin such a breath of fresh air is the courage to break new ground. The labels he commissioned from NYC/Indonesia artist Louise Despont (See a slideshow of her work published in Architectural Digest here) in his first vintage smash preconceptions about conventional Burgundy wine label aesthetics.

The Le Grappin wines celebrate the region, treating under-appreciated vineyards such as “Aux Forneaux” in Savigny-les-Beaune, and Saint Aubin “En L’Ebaupin” with the extreme love and care often devoted to the most known vineyards of the Côte d’Or, with excellent results.

Another way Le Grappin has turned conventions on their head is their 1er Beaune “Les Greves” Blanc, a vineyard famous for red wine. There were only 3 barrels made of the first vintage, and due to several years of tiny harvests, and in subsequent years, there has not been very much made either. Beaune Greves Blanc is an ethereal wine, light on the tongue with a backbone of acidity. This is somewhat of a signature style of the Le Grappin Côte de Beaune whites, and it has been a pleasure to get to know each of them for their individual qualities.

Santenay “Graviéres” – We Love You!

Andrew hadn’t told us he was sourcing grapes from Santenay, so it came as a delightful surprise to taste this seriously delicious white Burgundy. Santenay 1er Cru “Les Gravières” Blanc comes from a 40-year-old parcel of Chardonnay on Argovian white limestone, a rarity in Santenay, where the Bajocian red soil of the Côte de Nuits, which reappears in Chassagne to the north, reigns supreme. Argovian marl, terre blanche, is the classic soil for Chardonnay in Burgundy, and these vines were planted at a time when Santenay vineyards were almost entirely Pinot Noir. Forward-thinking winemaking indeed!

Pre-Release Offer From Le Grappin

I highly recommend you sign up with Andrew for his U.S. Pre-Release offer (At a significant amount off retail pricing) to snag some of the hard-to-get bottles. Let Jason know if you want to be added to the Le Grappin list, and he will pass your info on to Andrew and Emma, or contact Salut@legrappin.com directly to be added. He will send his offer to his U.S. list in early February, and Amitié Wines will ship in late Spring.

Le Grappin Rosé from Beaujolais

Spring is coming and it’s a great time to check out Le Grappin Rosé from 15-year-old Gamay vines in http://du grappin rosethe Le Grappin Beaujolais-Villages parcel on the slopes of Lancié. This area is considered the best commune in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, bordered on three sides by Morgon, Fleurie, and Moulin-à-Vent. In the U.K., you can find the Du Grappin Rosé in the trendy #Bagnum format. We can’t import Bagnums just yet but check back with us this Spring to be notified about getting the Le Grappin Rosé in the bottle.

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Fleurie-Poncé

Tasting at Le GrappinLe Grappin brings technical skill, high-standards for farming practices, and an extreme passion for product quality to their Du Grappin line. We were thrilled for Andrew and Emma when they were featured in Noble Rot Magazine, and Jancis Robinson named the Du Grappin Fleurie-Poncé her Wine of the Week. It is a fantastic wine and is worthy of every mention it got. We absolutely love the 2016 Fleurie Du Grappin (magnums) which we have in-stock now.

From 80 year-old goblet trained vines planted at the top of Poncié, one of the five celebrated vineyards along the ridge high above the village of Fleurie. Inspired by Jules Chauvet’s scientific writings, the hand picked clusters were placed in a concrete vat for two weeks with no crushing, pumping or plunging of any kind, the grapes undergoing what Chauvet called a fermentation aromatique. After 14 days, the clusters were pressed and finished fermentation in tank by indigenous yeasts before nine months in old barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. – Andrew & Emma Nielsen

Le Grappin Availability at Shops and Restaurants

Look for Le Grappin at these fine retailers: Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas, Wine Country in Long Beach, Kogod Wine Merchant, Vino Carta, Village Vino, Grape Smuggler, and Wine Sellar & Brasserie in San Diego.

Find Le Grappin on these restaurant lists: French Laundry, A.O.C. Lucques, Spago, Bouchon, Rancho Valencia, Veladora, Saison, Republique, Terranea, Foreign Cinema, and many others. Please see the complete list of our restaurant clients here for more info.

Current availability of Le Grappin