Thibault Ducroux Fleurie 2020

Thibault Ducroux's Fleurie 2020 is a textbook expression of pink granite terroir from the smallest of his three Beaujolais holdings. Ducroux farms just 0.76 hectares in Fleurie, all old-vine Gamay rooted in the appellation's signature pink granite soils, which contribute the wine's lifted florals and mineral spine. The 2020 vintage came off vines managed under practicing organic protocols, part of Ducroux's ongoing conversion across his 10.5-hectare estate spanning Beaujolais, Morgon, and Fleurie. This is carbonic Gamay with structure — a bottle that shows why Fleurie remains the most delicate of the Beaujolais crus. Thibault Ducroux is a young vigneron working a mix of estate-owned and long-term rented parcels across three appellations. His Fleurie vines dig into pink granite, while his Morgon holdings rest on granite and schist and his Beaujolais parcels occupy silt and clay. He harvests by hand and ferments whole clusters via carbonic maceration in concrete vats and old barrels, relying entirely on indigenous yeast. Ducroux skips fining and filtration, adding only minimal sulfur at bottling when the wine demands it. Annual production across all three wines hovers around 40,000 bottles, with Fleurie representing the smallest lot. Expect red currant, peony, and a thread of graphite that marks the granite. The palate is silky but not soft — there's a taut mineral line holding the fruit in place, with just enough tannin to frame charcuterie or roast chicken. This is the kind of Fleurie that drinks well cool, around 55 degrees, and pairs easily with everything from pork rillettes to grilled salmon. Open it now or hold it two to three years; carbonic structure ages better than most assume. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.