Beaujolais 'Sainte-Paule' Jean Max 2022

The French winemaker Jean Max presents the Beaujolais ‘Sainte-Paule’, a full and enveloping expression of this territory in southern Burgundy. The ‘Sainte-Paule’ is born from the collaboration between Jean Max and producers Simon Pérot and Etienne Ubaud of Domaine des Canailles, a small organic and biodynamic winery in Ternand, a town located just 30 kilometers from Lyon. This collaboration project was initiated by Jean Max with the 2021 vintage, presenting three labels: ‘Saint-Verand’, ‘Saint-Germain’, and indeed ‘Sainte-Paule’.

The ‘Sainte-Paule’ Jean Max Beaujolais is made exclusively from Gamay grapes grown under certified organic conditions within the municipality of Sainte-Paule, in the southern part of Beaujolais. In particular, the vines are 15 years old and are rooted in granite-based soils. In the winery, alcoholic fermentation is entrusted to indigenous yeasts and is accompanied by a more or less prolonged carbonic maceration. The subsequent aging period lasts for a few months and takes place in wooden barrels. Throughout the entire production process, the use of sulfites is excluded.

To the eye, Jean Max’s Beaujolais ‘Sainte-Paule’ shows an intense ruby red color. The olfactory panorama is described by fruity aromas of raspberry, cherry, and wild strawberries, enriched by floral descriptors of violet and rose petals. The taste development is juicy, full, and enveloping, complemented by good freshness and a velvety tannic structure. The recommendation is to enjoy this Beaujolais while young, 2-3 years after the harvest, served cool but not cold to enhance its peculiar organoleptic characteristics.