2021 Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais Rouge

Located in the hamlet of Le Breuil, deep in the southern Beaujolais and perched above a narrow creek, the Domaine Dupeuble has been making wine almost continuously since 1512. The name of the domaine has changed just three times in its history, most recently when the last heir, Anna Asmaquer, married Jules Dupeuble in 1919. Today Anna’s son Paul, and her grandchildren Ghislaine and Stéphane Dupeuble, manage the domaine.

Tradition runs deep in the family, but each generation has also managed to add something new, including increasing the property. Today it is comprised of one hundred hectares (about 247 acres), about forty percent of which is devoted to vineyards. Strong advocates of the lutte raisonnée approach to vineyard work, they tend their vines without the use of any chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. The vineyards, planted primarily to Gamay, face Southeast, South, and Southwest, and about two thirds of the property is on granite-based soil. The grapes are harvested manually and vinified completely without Sulphur dioxide. The wines are not chaptalized (no calcium carbonate or sugar is added), filtered, or degassed and only natural yeasts are used for the fermentation. The wines of Dupeuble are widely regarded for their very high quality and eminently reasonable price, thus represent some of the best values in the Beaujolais today.

The 2021 Beaujolais Rouge is made of 100% Gamay — a grape that produces bright, juicy, fruity light- to medium-bodied wines. The grapes grow in soil consisting of granite, clay and limestone. The wine is fermented naturally undergoing carbonic maceration — a process of filling the sealed tank of grapes with carbon dioxide so that fermentation takes place within the grape. After fermentation, the wine is aged in cement and stainless steel tanks before being bottled unfiltered.

The resulting wine is an eyeball-riveting red, loaded with flavors that has a delicious lengthy after taste. This versatile wine is very approachable and is ready to drink today. It will also cellar well for several years.

This wine will pair very well with your Thanksgiving meal, because it pairs well with roasted turkey and chicken, a wide variety of herbs and spices, almost all vegetables, and a wide variety of cheeses.