Domaine Anita, Les Caves Tres Vieille Vigne, Moulin-a-Vent, Beaujolais, France, 2022 Online Sale

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
Anita produces this cuvée from a 65-year-old planting on a lower part of the slope (240 meters altitude) in Les Caves in soils of decomposing granite with streaks of manganese. If the “Reine de Nuit” offers a certain lifted elegance, “Tres Vieille Vigne” harnesses the power and sap these old vines are capable of. To that end, Anita ages 25% of the blend in used Burgundy barrels, extending the elevage to ten months—a regimen which underlines the Pinot Noir-like qualities of this site even more clearly than the “Reine de Nuit.” A heady overlay of savory spice calls to mind great Morey-Saint-Denis, and its dark-cast fruit is dense but not overdone.

96 Points – James Suckling
This smells and tastes like the essence of Moulin-a-Vent, with stunning red fruit aromas plus delicate spicy and earthy notes. Wonderful freshness and precision for this very hot and dry vintage on the medium- to full-bodied palate. The contours of the tannins are very precise, giving this an astonishing clarity in the very long finish. Two thirds were 100% whole cluster and one third was destemmed. Everything was fermented and maturated in concrete tanks. Drink or hold.

93 Points – Wine Enthusiast
Partially wood aged, this wine has spice to go with the ripe black fruits. Tannins come through strongly as does minerality from the granite subsoil. This powerful wine needs to age. Drink from 2023.