Domaine de la Grand'Cour - Jean-Louis Dutraive

The wines of Jean-Louis Dutraive

Welcome to the Fleurie appellation, where Jean Dutraive settled in 1969 in one of the oldest estates in Fleurie, the Domaine de la Grand'Cour.
At Jean Dutraive, we are on the Chapelle des Bois, Grand'Cour and Champagne locality for lovers, a little over 9 hectares in total on the Fleurie appellation. Jean Dutraive also kept a fine legacy of the Brouilly appellation, almost 2 hectares today, located in the village of Charentay in Vuril.

Natural wines in Beaujolais

The torch was passed on in 1977, when Jean-Louis Dutraive joined his father at the Grand'Cour estate. It is therefore Jean-Louis Dutraive, who has ensured the continuity of the estate since 1989, considered as one of the pioneers of Beaujolais, just like the great Marcel Lapierre.
At Domaine de la Grand'Cour, we respect the soil, we respect the grapes. The vineyard is therefore conducted in traditional culture; the harvest is manual, the grapes from the Domaine de la Grand'Cour are neither destemmed nor crushed. There is no input (no chemical fertilizer, no weedkiller). Just like in winemaking, Jean-Louis Dutraive does not add sulfur, the yeasts are indigenous, everything is conducted at low temperature, with carbonic macerations. Jean-Louis Dutraive gives free expression to his wine, to his soils, then he lets the rest in the cellar by gravity for a longer or shorter time depending on the bottle.
The transfer does not stop there in the Dutraive Family; Jean-Louis Dutraive's children have also joined the Grand'Cour estate in Fleurie. It is therefore together, after the hailstorms of 2016 and 2017, where Jean-Louis Dutraive lost all his harvest, that Ophélie, Lucas, Justin, and Jean-Louis buy grapes from organic farming in the south of France. Thus new bottles from the Dutraive family can see the light of day, always with the same philosophy as for Beaujolais; be as less interventionist as possible in winemaking, and produce wines with great finesse and elegance.
What do all the cuvées from the estate have in common? The finesse of the juices.
The Epi-curieux.com team has chosen several vintages from the Domaine de la Grand'Cour to delight your epicurean taste buds.

Fleurie, Brouilly and Beaujolais wines

In the Fleurie appellation, we have the Lieu-dit Chapelle des Bois bottle (2020, 2021), from a plot of Gamay located south of the Fleurie appellation, facing north-west, between 250 and 300m above sea level. . At the top of the hill, the soil is sandy at a shallow depth, unlike the bottom, and the whole rests on a granite bedrock. Jean-Louis Dutraive decided to vinify in concrete vats, then to mature in vats for 7 months. An explosion of fruit, suppleness, the signature of a very fine Fleurie.
Also based on the Fleurie appellation, Jean-Louis Dutraive from Domaine La Grand'Cour presents his bottle Clos de la Grand'Cour (2020,2021). The team Dutraive holds the monopoly of the plot, located 300m above sea level. From the youngest vines of the Clos, 45 years old on average, this Fleurie Clos de la Grand'Cour was vinified in concrete vats, then aged 50% in oak barrels and 50% in oak barrels for 7 months. Emblematic bottle, a signature juice of the Fleurie appellation not to be missed!
Jean-Louis Dutraive also works the soils of the Brouilly appellation, to create the Brouilly Vieilles Vignes bottle (2020 + 2021). Coming from a clay-limestone soil, from deep soil, to the east of the Brouilly appellation, and from vines 60 years old on average, the Brouilly Vieilles Vignes bottle from Domaine la Grand'Cour was vinified in concrete vats, and aged in vats for 7 months.
The definition of a creamy Brouilly thanks to its southern exposure, supple tannins, a fine signature of the Dutraive team.

Jean-Louis Dutraive and the wine of France

The Dutraive family therefore expands, and launches into trading bottles. Jean-Louis Dutraive and his children present two Vins de France to us; “Cap sur Le Blanc” 2020 & “Cap Ô Sud” (2021).
The Vin de France Cap sur le Blanc bottle is a 100% Chardonnay, the only white bottle from the Dutraive team. From Beaujolais, and with as much mastery as the signature wines of the La Grand'Cour estate (also recommended by Jean-François Ganevat), this unique white bottle is a great success. In the program ; tension, finesse, elegance, to be tasted without prejudice! What does a southern grape vinified in the Dutraive way look like? To the Cap Ô Sud bottle with its 100% Cinsault. A nice balance between power and fruit.
On the Fleurie appellation, there is also the bottle Les Déduits (2019), a rather special bottle because the Dutraive family chose the grapes directly from Marc Delienne. The vinification remains faithful to the estate of La Grand'Cour, without input, with a slight addition of sulfur at the bottling. Vinified in concrete vats, then aged for 12 months in vats, this Fleurie Les Déduits is all in freshness, it is a mouthful of fruit, an ultra-gourmet 100% Gamay.
Located in the Beaujolais Villages appellation, the Lantignié 2021 bottle is a pure Gamay juice as we like, all made by the children of Jean-Louis Dutraive.
Just taste all these delicious juices coming directly from Epi-curieux.com's favorite region, Beaujolais!