Prunelle de Navacelle Régnié '20

“Prunelle de Navacelle is a trailblazing vigneronne in the emerging Beaujolais-Lantignié region. She produces small lots of her personal project at her family’s Château du Basty, home of the Perroud family since 1482. Prunelle farms old vines with regenerative agroecology methods to encourage biodiversity while fighting climate change.

Located just north of Brouilly, west of Régnié, and less than one kilometer from the border of Morgon, Beaujolais-Lantignié is a gem of a village that reminds us in some ways of what the Côte des Bar is to Champagne: an underdog that’s a hot spot of untapped potential. Lantignié has great geological complexity in the subsoils, with vineyards consisting of pink granite and volcanic blueschist (pierres bleues). It also has a diverse landscape with vines planted on rolling hills, bisected by streams, and bordered by woodland. It is an ideal place to make the elegant, transparent, natural wines that define Prunelle’s style.”

Prunelle makes two wines—Beaujolais-Lantignie and Régnié—and today we’re featuring the latter. The Régnié is 100% Gamay from a single certified organic parcel, consisting of pink granite soil. Grapes are fermented whole-cluster with semi-carbonic maceration, with a small amount of sulfur added only at the time of bottling, unfined and unfiltered. Aromas of fresh strawberry and purple flowers are abundant, with similar flavors on the palate coupled by a lovely mineral note and refreshing acidity. The wine has depth and complexity for those who want it, while at the same time being joyous and easy to love. Prunelle is doing great work in Régnié, and today’s offering is a clear-cut example.