Beaujolais has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Gamay’s typically lighter style - bright acidity, juicy fruitiness yet with a savoury underpinning and elegant tannin - appeals more and more to the modern wine drinkers palate. And in Australia, particularly, the increased pleasure gained by lightly chilling a Beaujolais cannot be understated!

Within the region of Beaujolais, ten villages (crus) are singled out as consistently producing the highest quality Gamay, and for having definably individual regional character. Julienas is one of these crus.

Julienas is named after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar; the area has a 2000 year history of grape production. Its varied soil composition of sedimentary alluvial soils near the Saone River and the sandy granite of the sloping vineyards on the Beaujolais hills make for wines can range from light and fruity, to densely concentrated and powerful. The appellation has a continental climate with cool nights and warm days, and an extended ripening season thanks to the long summers providing optimum conditions for growing quality fruit. Typically Julienas wines are earthy and weighty, with a deep ruby-red colour and strawberry, violet, cinnamon, redcurrant and peony aromas. The wines can be powerful, and flavours of vanilla and spices can also emerge.

Within Julienas, the village of Beauvernay is considered the single finest area of vines. Here the soils are entirely granite and ideally sloped, and many of the regions oldest vines can be found here.

Established in 1838 by Joseph Gonon and still farmed by the same family today (now into the seventh generation), Domaine de Beauvernay cultivates a 12 hectare vineyard. Altitude, gentle slopes and granitic soils lay the perfect foundation on which to grow Gamay.

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