Famille Dutraive | Domaine de la Grand'Cour | Fleurie & Brouilly, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France • Estate & Selected Vineyards • Gamay, Chardonnay • Organic / Granite, Clay-Limestone / 11.5 Hectares Estate + Selected Parcels / Clos de la Grand Cour, Chapelle des Bois, Champagne, Vuril / Hand-Harvested / Carbonic Maceration / Indigenous Yeasts / Gravity-Fed / Minimal SO₂ / 1969

The Heart of Beaujolais & the Surveillance Hand

Famille Dutraive is the negociant and estate label of the Dutraive family in Fleurie, one of the most celebrated addresses in the Beaujolais crus. The Domaine de la Grand'Cour was purchased in 1969 by Jean Dutraive, making it one of the oldest domaines in the village. His son, Jean-Louis Dutraive — known throughout the land as "the heart of Beaujolais" — joined in 1977 and took the reins in 1989, transforming the estate into a beacon of natural viticulture and an inspiration to an entire generation of growers. Today, the domaine is led by Jean-Louis's children — Ophélie at the helm of the estate, Lucas returned from New Zealand, and Justin with his own domaine — who continue the family philosophy of "faible intervention, haute surveillance" (low intervention, high surveillance). The estate farms 11.5 hectares of organically certified vineyards across Fleurie and Brouilly, with an average vine age of 40 to 100 years. The Famille Dutraive label was born in 2016 after devastating hail and frost destroyed 90% of the domaine crop — a negociant project sourcing from carefully selected organic parcels across the Beaujolais crus, vinified with the same exacting standards as the estate wines. The result is Beaujolais of extraordinary aromatic purity, textural lushness, and honest granite tension — wines that taste of the pink schist of Fleurie, the clay-limestone of Brouilly, and the patient, generous hand of a family that has made Beaujolais its life.

1969

Founded

2009

Organic

11.5

Hectares

Fleurie • Brouilly • Clos de la Grand Cour • Chapelle des Bois • Champagne • Vuril • Organic Certified • Carbonic Maceration • Indigenous Yeasts • Gravity-Fed • Old Burgundy Barrels • Foudres • Concrete • Minimal SO₂ • No Fining • No Filtration

01 — Origin

Jean Dutraive, Jean-Louis & the Heart of Beaujolais

The story of Famille Dutraive begins in 1969, when Jean Dutraive purchased the Domaine de la Grand'Cour in Fleurie — already one of the oldest domaines in the village. The estate was centred on a remarkable 6.5-hectare monopole, the Clos de la Grand Cour, which surrounds the family home like a walled garden of Gamay. Jean's son, Jean-Louis, joined him in 1977 and took over fully in 1989, embarking on a three-decade journey that would transform the domaine into one of the most influential natural wine estates in France. Jean-Louis began farming organically in 2007 and obtained official certification in 2009, though the family had practiced natural viticulture for decades before.

Jean-Louis Dutraive is known throughout the wine world as "the heart of Beaujolais" — a man of extraordinary humility, generosity, and joie de vivre. The family home and the domaine are one and the same, and there is a constant flow of visiting vignerons from every generation for lunches, dinners, casse-croûte, walks in the vines, and tastings in the cellar. Jean-Louis's door is always open, as are his bottles. He makes himself regularly available to young people in the region interested in farming naturally, and he is among the first to lend a hand, a tractor, or words of advice to colleagues. He was the first Beaujolais producer invited to participate in La Paulée — the grand Burgundian tasting — further proof that his Fleurie and Brouilly cuvées can stand toe to toe with top cru Burgundies.

In 2016, after devastating hail and frost destroyed 90% of the domaine crop, Jean-Louis and his children — Justin, Ophélie, and Lucas — created the Famille Dutraive label. It was born of necessity: to provide bottles to sell through lean years. But it became something more — a way to integrate the next generation into the domaine, to source fruit from carefully selected organic parcels across the Beaujolais crus, and to extend the Dutraive philosophy beyond the walls of the Clos. Today, Ophélie has assumed the helm of Domaine de la Grand'Cour, while Lucas — after seven months in New Zealand working at Bell Hill and Rippon — has returned to join the family estate. Justin cultivates his own two-hectare domaine with organic and biodynamic practices. Together, they form one of the most dynamic and respected family operations in Beaujolais.

"Faible intervention, haute surveillance."

— Jean-Louis Dutraive

02 — Place

Fleurie, Brouilly & the Granite Monopole

The estate is centred on Fleurie, perhaps the most elegant of the Beaujolais crus, with 9.7 hectares divided between three contiguous lieux-dits — Clos de la Grand Cour (the 6.5-hectare monopole that surrounds the family home), Chapelle des Bois, and Champagne — plus 1.8 hectares in Brouilly, in the lieu-dit Vuril, where the Dutraive family originates. The total estate is 11.5 hectares, with vines ranging from 30 to 100 years old and an average age of around 40 to 80 years. The soils are predominantly granite in Fleurie — pink schist and granitic sand that impart a distinctive floral, spicy, and mineral character — and clay-limestone in Brouilly, which lends more power, colour, and weight.

The Clos de la Grand Cour is a walled monopole of extraordinary beauty, with the family house literally in the middle of the vineyard. The vines here are on softer slopes at lower altitudes with deeper sandy soils, producing wines of elegance and aromatic finesse. The Chapelle des Bois faces northwest on sandy soil over granitic mother rock, giving wines of supple silkiness and red-berry purity. The Champagne lieu-dit — not to be confused with the sparkling wine region — sits on higher granite slopes with thinner soils, producing more structured and mineral expressions. The Brouilly Vuril plot, at 750 feet elevation and facing due south, is the family's ancestral land, where clay-limestone soils create a wine of greater density and darker fruit than the Fleurie cuvées.

The climate is semi-continental, warmer than the rest of Burgundy, with the eastern foothills of the Massif Central providing cooling night temperatures that preserve acidity. The family farms organically with meticulous care: hand harvest, no synthetic chemicals, no herbicides, and a deep respect for the living soil. In the Chapelle des Bois, Lucas has replanted some vines while maintaining the same density of 10,000 vines per hectare — closer spacing in the row to prevent Gamay from overproducing. The result is a vineyard that produces small berries with thick skins and concentrated flavours, requiring almost no cellar intervention.

Fleurie & Brouilly, Beaujolais

Famille Dutraive is based in Fleurie, in the northern Beaujolais crus of Burgundy, France. The Domaine de la Grand'Cour sits just a short walk from the village centre, around 300 metres above sea level. The property is accessible from Mâcon, Lyon, and the A6 motorway, and lies within one of the most historically significant and commercially dynamic wine regions of France. The surrounding landscape is a patchwork of granite hills, pink schist outcrops, and ancient Gamay vines that have defined Beaujolais viticulture for centuries. Fleurie is renowned as the most elegant of the ten Beaujolais crus, with a floral, feminine reputation that the Dutraive family has both honoured and transcended.

Granite, Pink Schist & Clay-Limestone

The Dutraive terroir is defined by geological diversity. In Fleurie, the soils are granite — pink schist and granitic sand that force the vines to send roots deep into fissures in search of water and nutrients, producing small berries with thick skins and concentrated flavours. The Clos de la Grand Cour has deeper sandy soils on softer slopes, giving wines of elegance and aromatic finesse. The Chapelle des Bois has sandy soil over granitic mother rock, producing supple, silky wines. The Champagne lieu-dit has thinner topsoil on higher slopes, creating more structured, mineral expressions. The Brouilly plot in Vuril is on clay-limestone at 750 feet elevation with south-facing exposure, giving wines of greater density, darker fruit, and more power than the Fleurie cuvées. This geological patchwork, combined with the semi-continental climate and the cooling Massif Central foothills, creates a microclimate of extraordinary clarity and balance.

Organic, High Density & the Living Soil

The Dutraive family farms the estate according to organic principles certified since 2009, rejecting all synthetic herbicides, fungicides, and chemical fertilisers. They have been regarded as trailblazers in natural viticulture for decades, serving as a shining example of farmers who work in tandem with nature. In the Chapelle des Bois, they maintain a vine density of 10,000 vines per hectare — planting closer together in the row to prevent Gamay from overproducing as row sizes have increased. All work is done by hand. Harvest is entirely manual, with grapes immediately placed in tank at low temperatures to begin carbonic maceration without sulfur. The result is a living vineyard where old vines, granite soils, and native flora coexist in a rhythm of minimal intervention and maximum honesty.

Clos de la Grand Cour Monopole

The Clos de la Grand Cour is a 6.5-hectare walled monopole that surrounds the Dutraive family home in the southern part of the Fleurie appellation. It is one of the most remarkable vineyard sites in Beaujolais — a single, contiguous parcel enclosed by dry-stone walls, with the house and cellars literally in the middle of the vines. The vines here are around 45 years old on average, planted on deeper sandy-granitic soils that produce wines of exceptional elegance, aromatic complexity, and floral finesse. The monopole is the heart of the domaine, both physically and spiritually, and the wines that bear its name are the flagship expressions of the Dutraive family's terroir-driven philosophy. To walk the Clos is to understand why the Dutraives are called the heart of Beaujolais: the vines, the house, the cellar, and the family are all one continuous organism.

03 — Winemaking

Carbonic, Gravity & the High Surveillance Hand

For the Dutraive family, the cellar is a place of radical simplicity and constant attention. The guiding principle is "faible intervention, haute surveillance" — low intervention, high surveillance. All grapes are hand-harvested and immediately placed in tank at low temperatures to begin carbonic maceration without any added sulfur. Carbon dioxide is added, and the juice at the bottom begins fermenting, protecting the whole bunches above. The family decides by taste how long to allow the maceration to continue before pressing — anywhere from 15 to 30 days depending on the vintage and the particular wine. After pressing, fermentation continues off the skins. The wines are then gravity-fed to the cellar for ageing.

The wines ferment entirely with indigenous yeasts. There is no fining and no filtration unless absolutely required. No SO₂ is added during vinification or élevage — only a small amount when the wines are racked and assembled for bottling, and even then only if necessary. Many cuvées are bottled with little to no added sulfites. Élevage occurs mostly in used Burgundy barrels, though the Fleurie Grand'Cour, Fleurie Chapelle des Bois, and Brouilly are sometimes aged at least partially in old foudres or cement tanks depending on the vintage. The Famille Dutraive wines follow the same protocol: whole-cluster, semi-carbonic, natural fermentation, and ageing in concrete, stainless steel, or old demi-muids depending on the cuvée.

The result is a style that knows no equal in Beaujolais. One whiff and the wines give an almost exotic floral and spicy aroma, followed by lush, minerally Gamay fruit — sort of like a top Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru or Grand Cru nose combined with earthy, Volnay-like fruit. There is a textural lushness and exuberance backed up by ample structure and acid. These are substantial Beaujolais, wines that can certainly stand up to food and have the requisite material to develop and evolve over 10 to 12 years of ageing — easily. The children have taken greater stylistic control since 2017, led by Ophélie, but the philosophy remains unchanged: observe more, react less, and let the granite speak.

Carbonic Maceration, Gravity & the No-Sulfur Rule

The guiding principle of Famille Dutraive is that the wine is made by the vineyard, spoken by the organically farmed old vines of Fleurie and Brouilly, and protected by the minimum possible intervention. The organic farming provides healthy, complex grapes. The hand harvest provides pristine fruit. The carbonic maceration of whole bunches at low temperature provides the fresh, fruity, floral character that defines great Beaujolais, while the extended maceration provides structure and depth. The indigenous yeasts provide spontaneous, site-specific fermentation. The gravity-fed cellar and old Burgundy barrels, foudres, and cement tanks provide respectful ageing vessels that do not impose new oak on wines whose identity is rooted in the granite of Fleurie. The absence of sulfur during vinification and élevage, and the minimal addition at bottling, provides a wine that tastes of Beaujolais granite, not of the laboratory. And the high surveillance — the constant tasting, the attention to every tank, the refusal to let a wine go unnoticed — provides the honesty and transparency that define the Dutraive style. The cellar is not a factory; it is a quiet continuation of the Clos — a place where carbonic patience, gravity generosity, and the refusal to standardise translate Gamay fruit into wine that is living, floral, and deeply of its place.

04 — The Wines

Clos, Chapelle & the Famille Hand

Famille Dutraive produces approximately 30,000 bottles per year across a portfolio that spans both estate wines (Domaine de la Grand'Cour) and negociant wines (Famille Dutraive). The range is built entirely around Gamay — with a single Chardonnay exception — from organically farmed vineyards in Fleurie, Brouilly, Chiroubles, Saint-Amour, and Beaujolais-Villages. All wines share a common foundation: hand-harvested grapes, whole-bunch carbonic maceration without sulfur, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, gravity-fed ageing in old wood, foudres, or cement, and bottling with minimal or no sulphur, no fining, and no filtration. The result is a range that is as honest as it is aromatically unique: each cuvée a different facet of the same Beaujolais landscape, each vintage a new conversation between vine, granite, and the surveillance hand.

Domaine de la Grand'Cour "Clos de la Grand'Cour" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Estate Monopole Vineyard • Clos de la Grand Cour, Fleurie, Beaujolais, France • Organic Certified • Granite & Sandy Soils • ~45-Year-Old Vines • Hand-Harvested • Whole-Bunch Carbonic Maceration in Concrete Tanks • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts • Aged 50% Used Barriques / 50% Foudres for 7 Months • Gravity-Fed • Unfiltered • Minimal SO₂

Red / Fleurie

The monopole flagship and the estate's most emblematic expression — Clos de la Grand'Cour is sourced from the 6.5-hectare walled monopole that surrounds the Dutraive family home, with vines of around 45 years on deeper sandy-granitic soils. Hand-harvested; whole-bunch carbonic maceration in concrete tanks without sulfur; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged 50% in used Burgundy barriques and 50% in foudres for 7 months; gravity-fed to the cellar. In the glass, a bright ruby with garnet glints. The nose is exotic and floral — red cherry, raspberry, violet, peony, black pepper, and a distinct mineral, stony note from the granite. On the palate, medium-bodied with a textural lushness and exuberance backed by ample structure and acid, silky cherry and raspberry fruit, and a long, sweet, mineral finish. The combination of concrete, barrique, and foudre ageing provides complexity without woody dominance. Clos de la Grand'Cour is a wine for the cellar — for pairing with roasted duck, wild mushrooms, and evenings of generous pleasure — and for demonstrating that Fleurie monopole Gamay on organic granite, when handled with carbonic patience and mixed-vessel ageing, achieves a finesse and aromatic intensity that rival the finest Burgundy crus. A wine of cherry, stone, and the monopole truth. Extremely limited production.

Fleurie

Domaine de la Grand'Cour "Chapelle des Bois" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Estate Vineyard • Chapelle des Bois, Fleurie, Beaujolais, France • Organic Certified • Sandy Soil over Granitic Mother Rock • ~30-Year-Old Vines • Northwest Facing • Hand-Harvested • Whole-Bunch Carbonic Maceration in Concrete Tanks • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts • Aged in Concrete for 6 Months • Gravity-Fed • Unfiltered • Minimal SO₂

Red / Fleurie

The northwest expression and the estate's most supple wine — Chapelle des Bois is sourced from a 4.5-acre plot in the lieu-dit of the same name, in the southern part of Fleurie, where vines face northwest on sandy soil over granitic mother rock. Hand-harvested; whole-bunch carbonic maceration in concrete tanks; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged entirely in concrete for 6 months. In the glass, a pale ruby with natural clarity. The nose is delicate and floral — wild strawberry, red cherry, rose petal, and a subtle earthy note. On the palate, light-to-medium-bodied with a super-elegant, silky texture, lovely supple cherry and raspberry fruit, a hint of pepper, and a long, pure, refined finish. The concrete ageing preserves absolute freshness and prevents oxidation. Chapelle des Bois is a wine for the table — for pairing with grilled fish, roasted poultry, and evenings of quiet precision — and for demonstrating that Fleurie Gamay on sandy-granitic soils, when handled with concrete purity and minimal intervention, achieves a finesse and drinkability that transcend all conventional expectations. A wine of strawberry, stone, and the silk truth. Extremely limited production.

Fleurie

Domaine de la Grand'Cour "Brouilly Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Estate Vineyard • Vuril, Brouilly, Beaujolais, France • Organic Certified • Clay-Limestone • ~60-Year-Old Vines • South-Facing • 750ft Elevation • Hand-Harvested • Whole-Bunch Carbonic Maceration in Cement & Fiberglass Tanks • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts • Aged 50% Tank / 50% Used Barriques for 6 Months • Gravity-Fed • Unfiltered • Minimal SO₂

Red / Brouilly

The ancestral wine and the estate's most powerful expression — Brouilly Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is sourced from the lieu-dit Vuril in the eastern part of the Brouilly appellation, where the Dutraive family originates. The vines are 60 years old, exposed due south, at 750 feet elevation on clay-limestone soils — a dramatic contrast to the granite of Fleurie. Hand-harvested; whole-bunch carbonic maceration in cement and fiberglass tanks; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged 50% in tank and 50% in used barriques for 6 months. In the glass, a deeper ruby with purple glints. The nose is intense and pure — fresh red cherries, plums, dark chocolate, and a distinct earthy, mineral note from the limestone. On the palate, medium-to-full-bodied with lovely intensity and purity, fresh acidity, good structure, and a long, savoury, mineral finish. The clay-limestone provides more power, colour, and weight than the Fleurie cuvées. Brouilly is a wine for the cellar — for pairing with braised lamb, aged cheeses, and evenings of quiet ambition — and for demonstrating that Brouilly Gamay on organic clay-limestone, when handled with carbonic patience and mixed-vessel ageing, achieves a finesse and gravitas that rival the finest expressions of the cru. A wine of plum, stone, and the ancestral truth. Extremely limited production.

Brouilly

Famille Dutraive "Fleurie Le Pied de la Rue" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Selected Organic Parcel • Le Pied de la Rue, Fleurie, Beaujolais, France • Organic • Granite • ~55-Year-Old Vines • Southeast-Facing Steep Slope • Hand-Harvested • Whole-Bunch Carbonic Maceration in Concrete Tanks • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts • Aged in Used Barriques for 8 Months • Gravity-Fed • Unfiltered • Minimal SO₂

Red / Fleurie

The negociant Fleurie and a pure expression of steep granite — Le Pied de la Rue is sourced from a single plot called "Le Pied de la Rue" in the eastern part of the Fleurie appellation, farmed without pesticides or herbicides by the Dutraive family's selected growers. The vines are 55 years old on a steep slope facing southeast, on granite soils. Hand-harvested; whole-bunch carbonic maceration in concrete tanks; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged in used barriques for 8 months. In the glass, a bright ruby with garnet glints. The nose is floral and complex — red cherry, wild strawberry, violet, peony, and a distinct stony, mineral note. On the palate, medium-bodied with a silky, textured mouthfeel, fine tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long, savoury, mineral finish. The used barriques add subtle spice and structure without imposing woody flavour. Le Pied de la Rue is a wine for the table — for pairing with roasted duck, grilled sausages, and evenings of generous pleasure — and for demonstrating that Fleurie Gamay on organic granite, when handled with carbonic patience and barrique restraint, achieves a finesse and aromatic complexity that transcend all conventional expectations. A wine of cherry, stone, and the rue truth. Extremely limited production.

Fleurie

Famille Dutraive "Fleurie La Tonne" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Selected Organic Parcels • North of Fleurie, Beaujolais, France • Organic • Granite • Thin Topsoil • Two Plots: 50-Year-Old Vines (South-Facing) & 100-Year-Old Vines (Southeast-Facing) • Hand-Harvested • Whole-Bunch Carbonic Maceration in Concrete Tanks • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts • Aged 100% in Concrete for 6 Months • Gravity-Fed • Unfiltered • Minimal SO₂

Red / Fleurie

The hillside monument and the negociant's most structured Fleurie — La Tonne is sourced from two hillside plots in the north of the Fleurie appellation, marked by thin topsoil on granite. The first plot has 50-year-old vines facing due south; the second has 100-year-old vines facing southeast. Hand-harvested; whole-bunch carbonic maceration in concrete tanks; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged 100% in concrete for 6 months. In the glass, a deep ruby with purple reflections. The nose is intense and mineral — dark cherry, blackberry, violet, graphite, and a distinct stony, smoky note from the thin granite soils. On the palate, medium-to-full-bodied with firm but fine tannins, generous dark fruit, vibrant acidity, and a long, structured, savoury finish. The 100-year-old vines provide extraordinary depth and concentration; the concrete ageing preserves absolute purity and freshness. La Tonne is a wine for the cellar — for pairing with braised beef, wild boar, and evenings of intellectual pleasure — and for demonstrating that century-old Fleurie Gamay on organic granite, when handled with carbonic patience and concrete restraint, achieves a depth and gravitas that rival the finest old-vine wines of the region. A wine of cherry, stone, and the ton truth. Extremely limited production.

Fleurie

Famille Dutraive "Chiroubles" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Selected Organic Parcels • Poullet & Javernand, Chiroubles, Beaujolais, France • Organic • Granite • 10–80-Year-Old Vines • 370–430m Altitude • Southeast Exposure • Hand-Harvested • 100% Whole-Cluster Semi-Carbonic Maceration in Concrete Vats • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts • Aged 7 Months in Old 228–600L French Oak Demi-Muids • 10ppm Total Added SO₂ • No Fining • No Filtration

Red / Chiroubles

The high-altitude outlier and the negociant's most aerial expression — Chiroubles is a blend of two old-vine parcels in the Cru of Chiroubles: Poullet, located just below the village at 370 metres with 70-year-old vines in organic conversion; and Javernand, at 430 metres with vines ranging from 10 to 80 years on shallow granite topsoil with granite bedrock, facing south. Hand-harvested; 100% whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration in concrete vats; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged for 7 months in old 228–600L French oak demi-muids. In the glass, a bright ruby with natural clarity. The nose is spicy and lively — sweet cherries, plums, wild strawberry, cracked pepper, and a distinct mineral, floral lift from the high altitude. On the palate, medium-bodied with nice density, silky fruit, good acidity, and a long, savoury, refreshing finish. The high altitude and shallow granite create a wine of extraordinary perfume and lightness. Chiroubles is a wine for the aperitif — for pairing with charcuterie, grilled vegetables, and afternoons of uncomplicated pleasure — and for demonstrating that Chiroubles Gamay on organic granite at altitude, when handled with semi-carbonic patience and demi-muid restraint, achieves a finesse and aromatic intensity that transcend all conventional expectations. A wine of cherry, stone, and the altitude truth. Extremely limited production.

Chiroubles

Famille Dutraive "Beaujolais-Villages Lantignié" — Gamay (Red)

Gamay • Selected Organic Parcels • Lantignié, Beaujolais-Villages, France • Organic • Granite • Two Parcels at 370m Altitude • Hand-Harvested • Whole-Cluster Infusion ~10 Days • Spontaneous Fermentation with Indigenous Yeasts in Concrete • Aged 6 Months in Vats • 10ppm SO₂ Added at Bottling • Unfined • Unfiltered

Red / Beaujolais-Villages

The village refreshment and the negociant's most joyful expression — Beaujolais-Villages Lantignié is sourced from two parcels in Lantignié on granitic terroir, one at 370 metres altitude, from growers in their first years of organic conversion. Hand-harvested; whole-cluster infusion for around 10 days; spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete; aged for 6 months in vats. In the glass, a pale ruby with purple glints and natural clarity. The nose is fresh and immediate — sweet cherries, strawberries, red currant, and a subtle floral note. On the palate, light-bodied with silky fruit, amazing purity, vibrant acidity, and a long, clean, refreshing finish. The short infusion provides elegance and finesse; the concrete preserves absolute freshness. Lantignié is a wine for the everyday table — for pairing with grilled sausages, Niçoise salad, and afternoons of uncomplicated pleasure — and for demonstrating that Beaujolais-Villages Gamay on organic granite, when handled with infusion patience and vat restraint, achieves a finesse and drinkability that transcend all conventional expectations. A wine of strawberry, stone, and the village truth. Extremely limited production.

Beaujolais-Villages

Famille Dutraive "Cap Sur Le Blanc" — Chardonnay (White)

Chardonnay • Selected Organic Parcel • Leynes, near Saint-Amour, Beaujolais, France • Organic • Hand-Harvested • Barrel Fermentation • Aged 1 Year in Barrel • No Added Sulfites • Unfiltered

White / Vin de France

The white outlier and the family's only non-Gamay expression — Cap Sur Le Blanc is made from Chardonnay sourced from Leynes, close to Saint-Amour, from an organically farmed parcel selected by the Dutraive family. Hand-harvested; barrel-fermented; aged for one year in barrel. In the glass, a pale gold with natural brightness. The nose is intense and saline — green apple, lemon zest, sea breeze, and a distinct mineral, chalky note. On the palate, medium-bodied with a salty, mineral edge, nice apple and lemon notes, a spicy acid line, and a long, savoury, refreshing finish. The barrel fermentation provides texture and subtle spice; the absence of added sulfites gives the wine a sense of vitality and wildness. Cap Sur Le Blanc is a wine for curiosity — for pairing with raw oysters, grilled fish, and evenings of adventurous pleasure — and for demonstrating that Beaujolais Chardonnay, when handled with barrel-fermentation patience and zero sulfur, achieves a depth and originality that transcend all conventional expectations. A wine of apple, salt, and the white truth. Extremely limited production.

Vin de France

05 — Legacy

Fleurie & the Heart of Beaujolais

Famille Dutraive is not merely a winery; it is a proof that a family, armed with organic conviction and five decades of village memory, can transform a modest Fleurie estate into one of the most influential and honest wine producers in France. In an era when Beaujolais is still recovering from the industrial conventions of the late 20th century — when carbonic maceration was often a mask for poor farming, and Beaujolais Nouveau was a commodity rather than an expression of place — Jean-Louis Dutraive and his children have demonstrated that the same granite can produce both floral lightness and mineral depth, the same Gamay can be both silky and structured, and the same carbonic maceration can yield both immediate pleasure and profound ageing potential — if the farming is organic, the cellar is a place of surveillance rather than manipulation, and the philosophy is one of low intervention, high attention, and profound respect for the vine.

The legacy of Famille Dutraive is the legacy of agricultural generosity and collective vision. Jean-Louis does not enter his vineyards to dominate them; he enters them to observe, to break bread with visiting vignerons, to lend a tractor to a neighbour, and to accept that the granite and the Massif Central winds will dictate the vintage. The 100-year-old vines of La Tonne are not treated as commodities but as patrimony, as gifts from the past that demand patience and humility. The Clos de la Grand Cour monopole is not a walled garden but a spiritual anchor — a reminder that wine has been made here for centuries, and that the best wines are those that serve the table rather than the trophy cabinet. And the Famille Dutraive label, born of hail and frost, is not a second-tier project but a statement of solidarity — a commitment to organic growers across the Beaujolais crus and a refusal to let a bad vintage silence the family's voice.

The future of the estate is tied to the future of Beaujolais and the old vines that Ophélie, Lucas, and Justin continue to tend with organic patience. As the Clos de la Grand Cour accumulates another decade of monopole wisdom, as the Chiroubles finds its audience among drinkers seeking altitude and perfume, and as the Cap Sur Le Blanc proves that Beaujolais can speak in white as well as red, Famille Dutraive remains what the family has always intended it to be: a farm that makes living wines — floral, mineral, and deeply tied to the granite and clay-limestone of Fleurie and Brouilly. The story of Famille Dutraive is the story of a family who looked at an ancient walled vineyard and saw not a relic, but a heart — and who proved that the best bottle from Beaujolais is the one that needs no explanation, only a glass, a meal, and the patience to let the granite speak.

"With near perfect work in the vineyard of a great terroir, one must observe more and react less."

— Jean-Louis Dutraive