Gregoire Hoppenot Fleurie Les Moriers 2020

Hoppenot farms almost three-hectares of this imposing east-facing terroir overlooking the famous windmill of Moulin-a-Vent. Les Moriers shares a border with Poncié, Les Roches and Les Garants and the vines at the top of the vineyard lie a stone’s throw from the winery. Vine age varies from 35 to 90 years. Rising from 260 metres on the Moulin-a-Vent border to 340 metres at the top of the slope, this steep hillside contains two mineral rich soil types: the vines at the top of the slope are on very poor soils of shallow granitic sand; then it becomes heavier in the Bas de Moriers with increasing clay concentration over the granite bedrock. Grégoire Hoppenot farms in both sectors, reserving the best fruit for this single-terroir bottling.

Recognising the power of this terroir, the winemaking incudes eight months in both large oak foudre and mature Burgundian barrels that have seen five vintages. In the right hands, Les Moriers gifts a Fleurie of singular intensity and aromatic detail, and that is what we have here. With layers of wild berry fruit wreathed in smoke and a long, slow-releasing finish, it’s the most intense and structured of this grower’s wines yet remains deliciously bright, silky and poised. Brilliant.