“There are wines to be drunk sitting down and there are wines to be drunk standing up,” Germain Santailler is telling us. “I want to make wines you can drink standing up” — that’s to say, wines that aren’t so muscular or “costaud” that they knock you over and make you lose your balance but, rather, wines that are light, fresh and full of nuance.

Perched on the southern tip of Beaujolais in the village of Marchampt within the lieu-dit Les Chopins, this bright-eyed disciple of Jean-Claude Lapalu is wise beyond his years, with a calming, humble confidence that belies his young age. 

When Germain suddenly inherited his father’s five hectares of vines at the age of nineteen, Jean-Claude, a family friend, swooped in to lend his expertise, and Germain jumped at the opportunity to learn from one of the greats. (The first time he tasted one of Jean-Claude’s wines, it was like a lightbulb went off in his head.) It’s a symbiotic relationship— Jean-Claude buys grapes from Germain and also lends him a hand in the cellar when it comes time for crucial decisions such as blending. In this sense, Jean-Claude is also helping to secure the legacy of the domaine that belonged to Germain’s late father, who was one of his dear friends.

It’s a heartwarming story, and all certainly seems fine and well in this magnificent corner of Beaujolais, where the slopes pitch at a stunning degree; Germain notes that they are among the steepest in the entire region. It feels like an expedition just to try and keep up as he sprints joyfully up ahead into his vines, granite crumbling underfoot. He is immensely proud of the single hectare that he’s cultivating for his own wines and wastes no time in showing us.

Eventually, Germain hopes to convert the entire domaine into single parcels he will vinify. At the moment, he is starting with a Villages and also a single parcel which he has named for the sun-drenched stretch on which we’re now standing, panting after a long climb: Le Desert.

Back at the cellar, Germain offers us some water (thankfully) and then his wines: shimmering, thirst-quenching, like a mirage. Despite his aversion to strong, muscular wines, Germain’s own bottles display a certain type of athleticism. They are lithe and supple, working their way around your tongue before ending in a long, graceful finish. A taster among us notices “a pear drop candy note you get from the carbonic that makes you want to drink the whole bottle.” Santé !

DOMAINE DES CHOPINS

Country: France

Region: Beaujolais

Sub-region or Appellation: Marchampt

Winemakers: Germain Santailler

Viticulture: Practicing organic

Terroir: Granitic soils

Size: 8 hectares

Instagram: @domaine_des_chopins

DOMAINE DES CHOPINS :: Beaujolais Villages

An expression of Beaujolais-Villages that truly has us on our feet. A ripeness reminiscent of freshly-picked raspberries from your favorite bush, but with elegance and balance oft thought reserved for cru-level wines. Eight-day carbonic maceration, followed by aging in large neutral oak. Pristine and bright, a prime example of Germain’s deftness and youthful expertise.

Vintage: 2022
Grapes: Gamay
Style: Red Wine
ABV: 11.5%
Region: Beaujolais
Sub-Region or Appellation: Marchampt
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Age of Vines: 50 years
Soils: Granite
Elevation: 450-600 meters above sea level
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: 8-day carbonic maceration
Aging: Large oak
Fining or Filtering: none
Sulfur: 10mg/L at bottling, none remaining

DOMAINE DES CHOPINS :: Le Desert

Seriousness, in this case, doesn’t need to mean muscle. “Le Desert” is shrouded in mystique, and with every sip, a new facet reveals itself. Ever-so-slightly softer, a touch more herbal, but unmistakably, flirtatiously fruit-driven. From a single parcel of 70-year-old Gamay vines. 10 days of carbonic maceration, followed by 5 months of aging in large neutral oak. Like liquified rubies, glimmering more with each subsequent glass.

Vintage: 2022
Grapes: Gamay
Style: Red Wine
ABV: 11.5%
Region: Beaujolais
Sub-Region or Appellation: Marchampt
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Age of Vines: 70 years
Soils: Granite
Elevation: 450-600 meters above sea level
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: 10-day carbonic maceration
Aging: 5 months in large oak
Fining or Filtering: none
Sulfur: 10mg/L at bottling, none remaining

DOMAINE DES CHOPINS :: Le Paradis

This deep red cherry stunner comes from a single parcel of 30 year-old Gamay vines. Whole cluster fermentation and maceration for nine days in cement followed by élevage in old oak barrels. Beautiful tension and a fine acidity.

Vintage: 2022
Grapes: Gamay
Style: Red Wine
ABV:
Region: Beaujolais
Sub-Region or Appellation: Marchampt
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Age of Vines: 30 years
Soils: Granite
Elevation: 450-600 meters above sea level
Yeasts: Indigenous
Vinification: 9-day carbonic maceration
Aging: Large old oak
Fining or Filtering: none
Sulfur: Minimal at bottling