Domaine Les Roches Bleues Brouilly, Le Cru Du Volcan, 2019

The old, short, goblet-trained vines growing in this favoured corner of Brouilly sit on bluey-purple layers of manganese soil ('Les Roches Bleues') under the 1585-foot Mont Brouilly. The summit of Brouilly has also been a place of worship since 1857, when a chapel was built for the protection of the vines from oidium (mildew). This wine was crafted from a parcel of vines in a single domaine near the summit of this long-extinct volcano (hence Volcan in the name of the wine). Grapes are handpicked and whole-berry fermented for 5-8 days (maceration carbonique) followed by a further 2 or 3 days on the skins in order to keep plenty of aromatic young fruit whilst adding a touch of subtle tannin to give greater weight