The conditions for exhibiting wine stipulated that they must be "Zero Zero" and well-made. Beaujolais is now ground zero for 00 wine. The standard of wines here is second to none—no mousy wines, all are very well-made, with nothing too extreme in the acidity department. There's a lot of experience on display from the cohort at Bojalien. "As always, the food is as important at these festivals as the wine; you can’t have one without the other. A lovely menu, freshly made, and great value for money. We were fortunate to have lunch with Pierre Boyat. I had the Tatin of Boudin, which was nice; a tart with apples, not too sweet, topped off with a creamy Boudin Noir and finished off with a tart au chocolat with salted caramel. In our discussion with Pierre about some of the vineyards resembling Martian terrain in very close proximity to Domaine de Grottes and also prevalent throughout Beaujolais, a parcel just around 500 meters away was totally devoid of organic material, with the exception of the vines on the parcel itself. Pierre informed me that this particular parcel had stopped being treated with herbicides some 10 years ago, and the terrain was still completely devoid of life. The only nutrients the vines receive are from fertilizers. Absolutely staggering to think that the topsoil has been completely destroyed; there is more vegetation growing and thriving in the red zone of Chernobyl."