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Chateau des Moriers

Moulin-a-Vent 2018

Price: $45.95
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Tasting notes

This is Gamay from one of its most serious addresses — old vines on pink granite with manganese, producing a wine with black cherry, black pepper, and earthy mushroom depth rather than the bright, fruity snap of lighter Beaujolais crus. The 2018 concentration from small, heat-stressed berries gives it a density that makes it worth cellaring, yet it drinks with enough freshness to enjoy now.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Black CherryBlack PepperMushroomViolet
  • Style: Dry, medium-full bodied red; dark ruby; black cherry, black pepper, earth, mushroom; 13.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Gamay; organic farming; pink granite and sandy clay soils, lieu-dit Les Moriers, Fleurie-Moulin-a-Vent border; vines 65+ years old
  • Winemaking: Semi-carbonic vinification; aged in old and new 400L barrels; minimal SO2 added at bottling only
  • Serving: Serve at 60-64F; 30-45 min decant recommended; can cellar 5-10+ years
  • Pairing: Roasted duck, braised short ribs, pork shoulder, aged Comte, roasted eggplant
  • Similar To: For fans of structured Gamay and entry-level red Burgundy who want genuine aging potential

Chateau des Moriers Moulin-a-Vent 2018 is a 100% Gamay from the lieu-dit Les Moriers, straddling the border of Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent in northern Beaujolais. The estate's oldest vines are 65 years and older, planted in poor pink granite soils with sandy clay. The 2018 vintage delivered small, concentrated berries after a hot, dry summer that followed the most humid first quarter since 1964 — fruit ripened early and with intensity.

The wine is made using semi-carbonic vinification, with aging in old and new 400-liter barrels. Minimal sulfites are used, added only before bottling. The result is a structured, deep-fruited Moulin-a-Vent with the earthy depth and aging potential the appellation is known for — the 2018 scored 95/100 from James Suckling senior editor Stuart Pigott, who compared its aging curve to Gevrey-Chambertin.

Chateau des Moriers farms organically and has done so for generations, with a belief in regenerative agriculture. The estate sits on approximately 9 hectares of pink granite at the foot of La Brirette's slopes. Gilles Monrozier and his daughter Anne-Victoire ran the domaine through the 2018 vintage; the estate has been in the family since 1855.

Moulin-a-Vent is the most age-worthy of the ten Beaujolais crus. Its pink granite soils are threaded with manganese, which limits vine vigor, reduces yields, and concentrates flavor. With time, these wines undergo a process the French call 'pinoter' — developing a bouquet similar to aged Pinot Noir, with notes of truffle, musk, and forest floor layering over the initial black cherry and violet.

Serve with roasted duck, braised short ribs, or pork shoulder with herbs. Works well alongside aged hard cheeses — Comte or aged Gruyere hold up to the wine's structure. If you go vegetarian, roasted eggplant with tomato and herbs is a natural match for the spice and earthy notes.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Gamay
Farming:, Organic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13.5%
Country:, France
Region:, Beaujolais
Appellation:, Moulin-a-Vent AOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

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If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Chateau des Moriers

Chateau des Moriers has been a family estate since 1855 and is now in its fifth generation. Through the 2018 vintage the estate was led by Gilles Monrozier and his daughter Anne-Victoire Monrozier. The estate is located on the lieu-dit Les Moriers, at the border of Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent in the northern Beaujolais. The property covers approximately 9 hectares of poor pink granite and sandy clay soils, with its oldest vines exceeding 65 years of age planted at the foot of La Brirette's slopes.

Farming is organic, with a commitment to regenerative agriculture. The estate uses organic fertilizers, light tractor work, and well water for cooling vats. Wines are released after several years of cellaring — the domaine specializes in age-worthy styles. Gilles Monrozier is credited with developing a distinct aging approach for the Moulin-a-Vent that gives the wines a unique character and longevity.

Winemaking at Chateau des Moriers uses semi-carbonic vinification followed by aging in a combination of old and new 400-liter barrels — larger than the standard Burgundy barrel format, which leaves less oak imprint while contributing structure. The style targets purity and gamay fruit expression with spice and tension. Sulfites are used minimally, added only before bottling. The 2018 Moulin-a-Vent scored 95 points from James Suckling's Stuart Pigott, who cited its meaty, earthy depth and Gevrey-Chambertin-like aging potential.

Wine region

Beaujolais, France

Moulin-a-Vent is one of the ten Beaujolais crus, located at the northernmost tip of Beaujolais, roughly 70 kilometers south of Beaune and 50 kilometers north of Lyon. The appellation spans approximately 630 hectares across two communes: Romanèche-Thorins in Saone-et-Loire and Chénas in the Rhone department. Vineyards sit mostly between 240 and 280 meters elevation with predominantly southeastern exposures. The appellation borders Fleurie to the southwest and Juliénas to the north.

The defining feature of Moulin-a-Vent is its pink granite soil — locally called 'gore' — shot through with seams of manganese. Manganese is toxic to grapevines in quantity, retarding leaf and berry growth, which reduces yields and concentrates flavor. Around 53% of the appellation sits on granitic soils, with the remainder largely colluvial. These conditions produce Gamay wines that are deeper, more tannic, and more age-worthy than those from neighboring crus. Moulin-a-Vent wines are known to 'pinoter' with age — shifting from violet and black cherry aromatics toward truffle, musk, and earth profiles more associated with aged Pinot Noir. AOC status was granted in 1936.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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