The vineyard and the wines
The Domaine de Leyre-Loup is located in the Morgon and Fleurie appellations, two of the ten red Beaujolais crus in south Burgundy. It covers 15.5 acres of land in Morgon and 7.5 acres in Fleurie, spread between the villages of Villié-Morgon and Fleurie, about 20 miles north of the City of Lyons.
The appellations are divided into "climats" which represent a unity of climatic, topographic and sunlight exposure features. The vines are located on some of the best climats, such as Corcelette in Morgon and Poncié and Les Combes in Fleurie.
Spread out over ten parcels of land, at an altitude ranging from 730 to 1160 feet, the "Gamay noir à jus blanc" grape variety is planted with a high density of just under 4 000 pieces per acre and mostly "gobelet" trained (freestanding), except for the new vines which are trazined on trellis. Over several generations parts of the vineyard have been regularly replaced in order to respect the perfect balance between the old vines and the young plants. The average age of the vines is 50 years.
The wine of Fleurie stands out for being fine and elegant. Aerial, fruity with flowery notes, expressive and rich, it is the most feminine of our crus. The wine of Morgon is characterised foremost by fruity aromas and its ability to age. The latter is due to the "morgons", which are schists crumbling under natural erosion effects combined with the working of the soil by the winegrower. It distinguishes itself by its colour, which is the result of the fertility of the soil derived from oxidised iron. The earth is a red ochre, the wine a deep garnet-red.
The wines of the Domaine de Leyre-Loup are made and grown on the estate using traditional winemaking methods in a modern cuverie : after being selected on a vibrating sorting table, grapes may be destalked, often partially. Then they macerate slowly at lower temperatures in thermoregulated vats before being pressed. Some selected vats are then grown in old oak barrels called Fûts and Demi-Muids: after 18 months of aging, they give birth to the Réserve Louis Leyre-Loup, the first rank wine of the Domaine de Leyre-Loup.
