Funny old world isn’t in it? It is a badge of honour for an artisan winemaker to describe their wine as ‘hand-crafted’, but it’s also a badge of honour for an artisan winemaker to describe their winemaking style as ‘hands-off’. So, it presents me with a bit of a ‘Schrodinger’s Cat’ dilemma, because this wine is simultaneously both ‘hand-crafted’ and ‘hands-off’. Domaine Guillot-Gonin oversee every tiny detail in the vineyard and the winery, the classic handmade approach, but they also take great pride in stepping back from the process and allowing the character of the vintage, the whims of nature and the unique expression of each vineyard’s terroir to shine through, unimpeded by human intervention. A philosophical cleft stick, if ever I saw one.

You’re probably wishing I would take a step back from this cod philosophy, as it’s the liquid in the glass that counts, so let’s press on. This is a really beautiful Fleurie, one of the most picturesque appellations in Beaujolais, with its folds of rolling hills, like a rumpled sheet, that allow for myriad pockets of perfectly-exposed vineyards. The wine is rich in flavours of bing cherry, blood orange and meadow flowers, but there’s also a stylish earthy undertone that brings an elemental quality to the wine and stops it being a fruity frivolity. Yes, it’s light and pretty, as a Fleurie should be, but has enough weight and complexity to please fans of both ‘hands-on’ and ‘hands-off’ Beaujolais. Or both. 13% alc. Drink now-2028.

Sustainably farmed