DUCROUX DROP + ELITE EGLY💥

Hello you lovely lot,

January is finally nearly behind us and as we enter Feb the wines are landing thick and fast. Just how I like it.

Our small allocation from Christian Ducroux arrived last week. It’s now even smaller. These land once a year, and will often be out of stock with the supplier in a matter of days. I can confirm they’re all gone now. The feverish demand is due to both limited supply and affordable pricing. Those in the natural wine know will know the name Christian Ducroux needs no intro (sorry for the tongue twister). Despite being one of the earliest pioneers of organic, and biodynamic farming (since 1985!) he doesn’t get mentioned enough alongside the heavyweights of the region. He farms just 6 hectares of old, densely planted vines around Lantignie on pink granite. At a considerable altitude for the region and with a northerly exposure he manages to capture a freshness that is becoming increasingly hard to find in the Beaujolais.

The wines are vinified in whole bunches in large concrete vats in the modest cellar under the family home. After, they are moved to an old, and I mean OLD press. Still going strong since the 1870’s, the free-run juice and the subsequent presses are all bottled separately. Gravity then moves the wines to old casks and once ready are bottled without input. A true paysan vigneron, with a keen focus for the health of his land and a gentle touch in the cellar. The resulting wines nourish both body and soul. Wildy alluring in their youth they also offer great reward for those with more patience than me. Affordable and allocated and two words I rarely string together and we have just a handful left here.

We also received plenty of fancy fizz with a healthy 2024 release from Egly-Ouriet. Grower Champagne wouldn’t have had the resurgence it’s had if it wasn’t for Francis Egly. The work here focuses on Grand Cru plots where biodynamic farming practices and sustainable agriculture is championed. Yields are strictly controlled to an amount that is half the norm in Champagne—no gimmicks in the cellar either. Natural yeasts are preferred and then wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined with long aging on the lees before receiving a low dosage. All the things we like.

We’ve got the bright and bready Les Prémices here. Outrageous value. Meunier is really doing it for me atm. This is why. Egly often prefers the red varietals but THIS is a leaner rendition whilst still keeping in check with the vinous house style. The fan favourite, the benchmark bottle, leaves me speechless every single time. V.P is the beast of the bunch after a whopping 84 months on the lees. Finally, the v limited Grand Cru Rosé. Pink fizz doesn’t get much better, sadly no frosted glass though lol.

Happy huntin’
Love
Fionn
xoxo