evelyne and claude geoffray are the proud owners and producers at château thivin, in the heart of beaujolais, with the vineyards nestling on the slopes of mount brouilly . claude and evelyne inherited the château from claude's great aunt and uncle, who were major heroes within the beaujolais community, playing a strong role in getting appellation recognition for the côte de brouilly in the 1930s. this husband and wife team now also work with their son, claude, and are all still looked upon as heroes of the community and great promoters of beaujolais. the grapes are planted at 8,000 vines per ha and severe pruning methods are used to keep yields low and therefore flavours intense. they are picked by hand and transported in small baskets to avoid damage on their way to the small, but many levelled, traditional winery, where gravity is allowed to play its role in transporting the whole bunches through the system of vats without the use of pumps. all this ensures gentle treatment of the grapes so that few are broken before intra-cellular fermentation occurs, a characteristic part of the fermentation process that gives beaujolais wines their distinctive fruity freshness.

côte de brouilly cuvée zaccharie 2005 château thivin brouilly 2006

guide hachette 2007 gold award concours général agricole paris ".while ripe and supple with fine structures, the wines show real individual expression and distinctive fruit, with a mineral, floral and herbal quality that is unique" p. williamson and d. moore, (recent winners of the louis roederer wine writers award) 2007

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