Elisa GuérinThe Fourth Generation
From Paris back to Beaujolais—childhood friends with the Dutraives and Foillards, fourth-generation steward of historic Les Thorins terroir, hand-drawn labels and organic Gamay.
From Parisian food buyer to fourth-generation vigneronne
Elisa Guérin grew up in the Beaujolais, surrounded by wine royalty. As a child, her playmates were Ophélie Dutraive and Alex Foillard—she knew their parents' wines from an early age and always knew she would one day return to her family terroir to make great wines [^99^].
After studying agronomy in Dijon, Elisa spent several years working as a buyer of local agricultural products for Parisian chefs at Terroirs d'Avenir, the influential fine foods wholesaler. She settled back at her family estate in Chénas in 2018; the return was inevitable [^99^][^100^].
"I always knew that one day, I would return to my family terrain to make great wines."
In 2019, Elisa produced her first commercial vintage, convincing her parents that to obtain fine, local wines, they needed to move toward organic cultivation and gentle, low-intervention winemaking. Her father Philippe officially passed the family torch, making Elisa the fourth-generation steward of the family terroir [^99^][^97^].
Les Thorins—once the price of Gevrey-Chambertin
The Guérin family estate consists of 5 hectares: 4.2 hectares in Moulin-à-Vent and 0.8 hectares of high-altitude Chiroubles. Of the Moulin-à-Vent holdings, 1.5 hectares comprise a single plot of 'Les Thorins'—the historic terroir that gave the appellation its name [^99^][^100^].
Within arm's reach of the eponymous stone windmill, 'Les Thorins' was previously classified as 'Romache-Thorin.' In the 1930s, these wines were declared fit for royalty and traded at the same price as Grand Cru Burgundies from Gevrey-Chambertin. Considered the most Burgundian of all Beaujolais terroirs, the lasting impacts of the Burgundians are still visible today [^99^][^100^].
Elisa manages the vineyards according to organic principles (though not certified), with very steep, horse-plowed slopes in Chiroubles. The older vines in 'Les Thorins' are 80-90 years old. In the cellar, she employs carbonic maceration, native yeasts, and minimal sulfur (around 10mg/L), aging in cement tanks [^100^][^101^].
- Les Thorins terroir
- 80-90 year vines
- Carbonic maceration
- Cement tank aging
- Minimal sulfites
- Hand-drawn labels
The gang of friends—wine as sisterhood
Childhood Connections
Elisa grew up alongside Ophélie Dutraive (daughter of Jean-Louis) and Alex Foillard (son of Jean), spending time at the cellar during harvest and apéro hours with Yvon Métras and the Dutraive family. These weren't distant idols—they were family friends [^100^].
La Bande des Copines
Since 2014, Elisa has been part of an informal group of winemakers' daughters who produce a wine together from abandoned or unused parcels each year. Members include Laure Foillard, Ophélie Dutraive, Justine Paris, and Laura Lardy—the next generation of Beaujolais women [^100^].
Hand-drawn labels and historic terroir
Moulin-à-Vent "Les Thorins"
From the legendary single parcel that gave the appellation its name. 80-90 year old vines on sandy granite with quartz and red clay. Aged in cement tank, this is the most "Burgundian" of Beaujolais—soft, deep, with dried cherry fruit and violet notes. The 2019 shows lush gourmandise; the 2020 more athletic structure [^100^][^99^].
80-90 year vines
Cement tank
Historic site
Chiroubles
From 0.8 hectares of high-altitude vines in Chiroubles. A master class in Gamay—perfectly ripe, wonderfully textured, juicy, and complex. The steep slopes here are worked by horse. Floral, ethereal, and supremely drinkable, it represents the lighter, more aromatic side of the Guérin portfolio [^99^][^106^].
Horse-plowed
Floral & juicy
Ethereal texture
Beaujolais-Villages
Sourced from 50-year-old organic vineyards in Quincié-en-Beaujolais and Lantignié. Fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered and unfined, with minimal added sulfites. Shows ferrous mid-palate and chocolate-dusted white cherry fruit distinctive to the western Beaujolais. Ten-day maceration, aged in steel [^100^][^103^].
Carbonic maceration
Steel tank
Ferrous minerality
Beaujolais-Villages "Huire"
From a 1 hectare parcel in the "Huire" lieu-dit in western Quincié, currently mid-conversion to organics. The soil is decomposed granite mixed with blue stone, giving a distinctive minerality that stays on the palate. Holographically distinct aromas, kicking with energy [^100^].
Decomposed granite
Blue stone
Distinctive minerality
La Bande des Copines
Since 2014, Elisa has collaborated with Laure Foillard, Ophélie Dutraive, Justine Paris, and Laura Lardy to produce a wine from abandoned or unused parcels. This project represents the sisterhood of the new Beaujolais generation—women winemakers supporting each other and breathing life into forgotten vineyards [^100^].
Abandoned parcels
Since 2014
Next generation
The Next Generation of Beaujolais
Elisa Guérin represents a new wave in Beaujolais—not the children of famous natural wine stars (though she counts them as close friends), but the revivalist of a family estate that previously sold to négociants like Georges Duboeuf. By convincing her father to convert to organic farming and take control of their own bottling, she has transformed the domaine's trajectory [^100^].
Her wines fall stylistically somewhere between Jean Foillard and hot-vintage Jean-Louis Dutraive—crowd-pleasing muscle meets nuanced, textural acidity. With her hand-drawn illustrated labels reimagining her terroir as wild gardens, Elisa brings an artist's eye to the cellar. Her first Paris clients were Le Baratin and Le Verre Volé—the temples of natural wine—signaling immediate credibility in the scene [^100^].
- Fourth generation, 2019 first vintage
- 5 hectares in Moulin-à-Vent & Chiroubles
- 1.5 hectares "Les Thorins" single parcel
- 80-90 year old vines
- Historic terroir (1930s Grand Cru prices)
- Organic farming (non-certified)
- Carbonic maceration
- Native yeasts
- Cement tank aging
- Minimal sulfur (~10mg/L)
- Hand-drawn labels
- La Bande des Copines member
- Childhood friends with Dutraives/Foillards
- Paris Terroirs d'Avenir background
- Domaine du Moulin d'Éole