The more we taste 2014 Beaujolais, the clearer it becomes that this is a vintage to stock up on.
Of course, Métras is very much on our short list of top 2014s.
The vintage has a density and undeniable presence, but also a driving acidity. This combination of harmony and intensity makes it stand out as something really special.
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Métras is one of the core producers of our Beaujolais selection, so we won't belabor this too much. For many years, Yvon Métras' wines were the stuff of legends. He was the fifth member of the Gang of Four and was imported for a hot second, but then decided that he hated the paperwork involved. For a while after that, you had to seek them out in Paris. Once we tasted them, we did everything we could to offer some. Six years later, Beaujolais fanatics count Métras as one of the greats of Beaujolais.
The explanation is pretty simple: there's an extra level of complexity and a mysterious dimension of meaty and savory notes that the majority of Beaujolais simply doesn't have.
In Fleurie, Métras farms the Grille-Midi and La Madone: both are top sites in prime, steep and very sunny climats. The vines range from 70-100 years of age. It offers a gorgeously perfumed nose of violets, crushed rock, smoke, and a combination of red and purple fruits. In 2014, everything seems more impactful and yet brought into clearer focus. There's the lacy delicacy that has earned Fleurie the title of the "Queen of Beaujolais."
In 2006, Yvon Métras purchased a mere 0.6ha of Moulin-à-Vent near his home, making it an even rarer wine than the Fleurie. Moulin-à-Vent is commonly considered the King of Beaujolais, known for being the longest lived and easily one of the most complex of the Crus.
Métras’s MaV shows some of the muscle of Moulin-à-Vent, but all of this seems channeled through his Fleurie background- there’s still an indisputable dose of grace and delicacy to Metras' MaV. If the Fleurie is silken with a fierce streak of granite minerality, the MaV is meaty, simultaneously velvety and slightly granular. The minerality is iron-tinged.
Word on the 2014 Beaujolais is clearly getting out there. Métras is always difficult to find in quantity, but when you combine the rarity of Métras with the 2014 vintage, it's easy to imagine these bottle disappearing.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits