Benjamin Passot - Chénas 'Au Bois Retour'

This is Benjamin's top wine which comes from the oldest vines (70-100 year old) which produce very low yields. The 'Au Bois Retour' has seriously deep berry fruit along with smokey mineral undertones, it's got all the power but none of the weight. 

Chenas is the smallest of all of the Beaujolais Cru's with poor rocky sandy soils, perfect for Gamay vines to dig their roots deep into the ground. This results in complex and concentrated wines that can age, like the wines of Chénas's more famous neighbour, Moulin-à-Vent. 
 

About Benjamin 

Born in Burgundy, Benjamin also developed his craft working the vines of Vosne Romanée, home to some of the worlds most celebrated (and expensive) Pinot Noir and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his Beaujolais project. The grapes are 100% destemmed in Benjamin's wines, this is unusual for Beaujolais, the wines are really transparent silky as a result. He also adds stalks back into the wines in different amounts depending on the vintage, this provides extra aromatic complexity and phenolic content. 

Each of his cru's have their own personality and reflect the subtle differences in the sites he works with.  Hand harvested grapes. long maturations in old oak barrels, light extraction and minimal intervention in the winery. We were particularly excited when we tasted his old vine wines from vines in Chenas and Juliénas where he works with 80 year old vines that produce deeply flavoured wines that have concentration but also drinkability at the same time.