2015 Domaine de Colonat 'Les Thorins' Moulin-a-Vent
We are, to put it mildly, CUCKOO for 2015 Beaujolais like the proverbial chocolate puff. The wines have thrilling ripeness and depth, and an electric, neon-magenta color that even looks dangerous. Then along comes this seductress, sourced from 70-year old vines from Colonat’s best vineyards. Succulent wild strawberries, black raspberries and Morello cherries make this irresistible, even before the precise and polished finish of spice and minerals. Age this or pound it now; either way, you WIN.
Christine and Bernard Collonge were fresh-faced twenty-somethings when they took over the Collonge family holdings in the Beaujolais town of Villié-Morgon in 1977. Today their son Thomas assists them in the production of their stellar lineup of cru Beaujolais. A word about cru Beaujolais. The 10 designated "cru" villages of Beaujolais [of which Morgon is one, since 1936] are the finest, best-drained, highest-altitude sites in the region. Cru is to "regular" Beaujolais what Mercedes-Benz is to Kia. Cru wines are typically vinified like red burgundy, and raised in large neutral oak casks. These are not the light, bubble-gummy, skinny wines made carelessly from shamefully big crop loads. They are serious, complex, age-worthy reds for connoisseurs.