2020 Anne-Sophie Dubois “Les Cocottes” Fleurie Cru Beaujolais, France.
The 2020, like the 2019 Les Cocottes, is a ready to drink version of Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie, and is a joyous deep ruby hued quaffer with lovely texture and purity of Gamay fruit along with a bright intensity of the use of whole bunches and stems, but it is a touch more reserved in style when compared to the 2019, though it opens beautifully with air. Dubois is a full fledged star in the region these days, and while her wines can still be under the radar, there’s no doubt about her talents and each of her wines are remarkably distinct and transparent, with her old school traditional whole cluster Les Cocottes being one of my favorites. The latest shows a dark berry, black cherry, plum and currant fruit profile along with its perfumed bouquet with dark florals and it is texturally satiny with Fleurie’s classic strawberry and mineral coming through on the lighter medium bodied palate. A touch of stemmy crunch, spice and wild herbs arnica folded in here too and there’s a good sense of freshness through the Les Cocottes’ natural acidity. Best to enjoy this vintage with food, as that will allow for the full expression to shine though in this slightly shy Fleurie Cru Beaujolais, which made a huge difference for my own tasting experience and reveal the true personality of this excellent wine. Dubois grew up in the Champagne region and learned her winemaking skills in the Cote de Beaune’s Volnay area, and now, based in Fleurie, using her organically farmed parcels, with the vines, some over 60 years old giving her grapes terroir personality and concentration.
Anne-Sophie Dubois’ Fleuries were once all 100% de-stemmed and fermented in a Burgundian-style fashion with a nod to delicacy and elegance, though in recent years, this Les Cocottes, her “little sweetie(s)” is different from her usual style, she crafts this Fleurie with 100% whole cluster and using a carbonic maceration, making it her most flamboyant offering usually, and it is one, as mentioned, of my favorites in her stunning lineup, along with her more traditional L’Alchimiste, her signature bottling, which is as divine as many Burgundy Premier Crus. Anne-Sophie, as noted in my prior reviews, uses a combination of cement vats, stainless and neutral French oak casks for her fermentation and elevage, which each wine demanding an individual approach, to bring out the singular parcel’s soulful characteristics, with this Les Cocottes coming from Fleurie’s unique pink granite soils that gives this wine its complexity and delicacy. There’s a ton of charm here and while the 2019 was more flamboyant, this 2020 delivers a strong performance, especially after it has some time and food, with a pretty peony and rose petal aromatic quality and the stems add some good contrasting savory and earthy elements that is alluring, while this Les Cocottes remains drinkable and exciting, very much in league with Dutraive and other top producers in Fleurie. On day two, the Dubois Les Cocottes gets even better, which bodes well for the future, and potential rewards, I’m glad a got a few bottles, that I will cellar for a few more years. I recommend getting to know Dubois through her wines, all of which show off her skills as a vigneron and the glorious nature of the Fleurie appellation.
($35 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive