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Domaine Azzara
Chiroubles · Beaujolais / Anjou · Loire
Domaine Azzara begins with a single contiguous five-hectare parcel that crosses Beaujolais-Villages, Chiroubles and Morgon, together with a few extremely rare Chenin cuvées in the Loire. Benjamin Azzara works with a technical assurance and intensity that is evident from the first glass.
“I love the Cru of Beaujolais, the diversity of the terroir, and what Gamay can become.”
Benjamin Azzara
Behind the domaine
Benjamin Azzara
Benjamin has more than ten years of experience from some very different but demanding environments: Charlopin-Parizot, Château Latour, Cave de la Loire and Domaine de la Vougeraie, where he worked closely with Pierre Vincent. That background has given him both technical discipline and a very broad understanding of wine.
In Beaujolais he works the steep vineyards himself, often under conditions where everything must be done by hand. The work is hard and unrelenting, and the consistent focus can be tasted in the wines. Each cuvée is treated with the same seriousness as if it were a Premier Cru from Burgundy. Gamay gains structure, depth and ageing potential, while the fruit retains its juiciness and vitality.
Benjamin does not make Beaujolais to a conventional recipe. He makes Benjamin Azzara in Beaujolais. The vineyards, the extraction and the élevage are handled with an ambition that places the wines in a category of their own. Benjamin is one of the producers Rarité believes in most strongly, and the level rises from vintage to vintage. The reds have already built a strong reputation, and the minute whites from the Loire make the whole even more unusual. Domaine Azzara will not remain under the radar.
Vineyards and cellar
One contiguous slope and micro-cuvées of Chenin
The roughly five hectares of Gamay lie together in one contiguous parcel on a steep, north-facing slope. The holding crosses the appellation boundaries and covers Beaujolais-Villages, Chiroubles and Morgon. It is an extraordinary starting point, because Benjamin can follow the same landscape through three appellations and vinify the differences directly. The old gobelet vines stand on gradients of roughly 15–35 per cent in sandy granite, solid granite, quartz and blue stone. All vineyard work is done by hand.
Stellogonie comes from sandy granite and sees around 15 days of maceration followed by roughly 9–10 months in used 500-litre Burgundy barrels. Rencontre comes from soils of roughly half solid granite and half sand and spends around 12 months with about 30 per cent new oak. La Constellation from Morgon likewise spends around 12 months with about 30 per cent new oak. Le Rêve from Chiroubles has a longer élevage of around 12–15 months and roughly 40 per cent new oak.
Clos de la Pépinière is 100 per cent Chenin Blanc from a single vineyard in Anjou under organic conversion. The first vintage yielded only 240 bottles and 30 magnums. It is one of the most unusual white wines in the entire portfolio: dense, chalky, cool and with a tension that brings to mind Corton-Charlemagne in a cool vintage. The wine matures for around 12 months in used barrels and demi-muids. Antarès is also Chenin Blanc, but with 12 days of skin contact and roughly 24 months of élevage. Quantities are minute.
The wines
Stellogonie Beaujolais-Villages
Sandy granite · c. 15 days' maceration · 9–10 months in used 500-litre barrels
Stellogonie is open, juicy and full of vivid Gamay fruit. Whole bunches and the sandy granite give pepper, flowers and a lifted texture, while the barrels build a discreet depth. It is a wine of enormous drinkability and far more seriousness than the price suggests.
Rencontre Beaujolais-Villages
C. 50 per cent solid granite and 50 per cent sand · 12 months · c. 30 per cent new oak
Rencontre is deeper and more textured than Stellogonie. Darker fruit, stone and spice come together in a wine that evolves markedly in the glass. The new oak is integrated and used to give shape. A Gamay with both energy and genuine ageing capacity.
Le Rêve Chiroubles
Granite and quartz · c. 12–15 months' élevage · around 40 per cent new oak
Le Rêve is Chiroubles at a very high level. The nose is high-toned with violet, red berries and stone, while the palate has juice, firm structure and a long mineral finish. Benjamin gives the vineyard more depth without losing the airiness that makes Chiroubles distinctive.
La Constellation Morgon
Granite, quartz and blue stone · c. 12 months · around 30 per cent new oak
La Constellation is the darkest and most structured Gamay of the range. Morgon's stony soils give firmness, spice and a deep fruit that deserves time. It is a wine of seriousness, length and that particular ability to develop towards something almost Pinot-like with age.
Clos de la Pépinière Chenin Blanc · Loire
Single vineyard in Anjou · organic conversion · 240 bottles and 30 magnums in the first vintage · c. 12 months in used barrels/demi-muids
Clos de la Pépinière is a strikingly beautiful and entirely singular white wine. The fruit is bright and pure, the acidity piercing, and the texture dense, chalky and almost monumental. The association with Corton-Charlemagne arises quite naturally, particularly in the wine's cool power, salinity and enormous length. Benjamin himself calls it his little Corton-Charlemagne, with a glint in his eye. The level makes the 240 bottles and 30 magnums seem almost absurdly few. It is one of the most convincing white debuts in Rarité's portfolio.
Antarès Chenin Blanc med skindkontakt
100 per cent Chenin · 12 days' skin contact · c. 24 months' élevage
Antarès shows an entirely different side of Chenin. The skin contact gives spice, firmness and a lightly tannic structure, while the long élevage builds depth. Dried citrus, tea, herbs and saline acidity make it complex and extremely gastronomic. A rare wine with a strong personality.
Current vintages, formats and quantities appear on the price list. The smallest cuvées are distributed by allocation.