Domaine Labruyère, Moulin-à-Vent (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) 2016

 I hear it already, “How can you give Beaujolais 95 points?”  First, this is not Beaujolais really; it’s from Moulin-à-Vent, arguable the best of the 10 cru of Beaujolais, which taken together, are in a class by themselves.  Secondly, it’s an outstanding wine, showing the complexity that the Gamay grape planted on granite soil can achieve.  It helps that the winemaker, Nadine Gublin, is a star who also is responsible for the wines at the Domaine Jacques Prieur, a leading Burgundy house.  As is becoming the practice in Moulin-à-Vent and other cru of Beaujolais, producers are bottling individual vineyard wines separately, such as this one, just as is done in the rest of Burgundy.  Le Clos, a single small (2.4-acre) plot with vines that average 50 years of age, is a monopole, that is, owned exclusively by Domaine Labruyère.  The focus of Le Clos is on the mineral aspect that the granite soil imparts, rather than the fruitiness of Gamay.  The hint of bitterness in the finish reinforces that focus.  It’s a long, refined and graceful wine that makes you stop and say, “Wow, that’s not Beaujolais.”  The tannins are fine, which allows for enjoyment now, but it has the presence and balance to evolve beautifully over the next decade.  I’ll stick by my 95-point assessment.