In Saint-Germain-Nuelles, in the golden-stone hills of southern Beaujolais, Jean-Francois Debourg works a family vineyard passed from father to son since 1850, a long agricultural lineage that he turned toward natural winemaking only recently.
Backstory
The Debourg family has farmed these slopes since 1850, but for generations sold its grapes rather than making wine. In 2016 Jean-Francois changed course, learning natural vinification, bottling under his own name, and beginning the conversion of the estate to organic certification.
The Region
The domaine sits in the Pierres Dorees, or Terres Dorees, the southern reaches of Beaujolais named for the warm ochre limestone of its buildings. The roughly twenty hectares span diverse terroirs including clay-limestone, silty soils, granite, alluvial ground, and pink sands.
Vineyards and Farming
The vineyards are either certified organic or in conversion. Debourg works Gamay alongside Viognier and Chardonnay, farming with respect for the surrounding environment and harvesting carefully selected fruit by hand.
Winemaking
Depending on the cuvee, Debourg vinifies whole-bunch or destemmed. The wines age roughly eight months in large oak vessels or Burgundy barrels. Since 2018 they have been made without any additives.
The Wines
The result is a range of low-intervention Beaujolais and Pierres Dorees wines built on Gamay, with whites from Viognier and Chardonnay, vinified with delicacy and aged with patience.
