Fleurie 'Cuvée Tardive' (1.5L Magnum)

The Cuvée Tardive is a selection of wine produced from old vines being on average over 80 years old. The name "Cuvée Tardive" is a reference to the fact that the Couderts believe that the wine will benefit from bottle-aging, usually showing its true potential after a few years time from harvest. 

Deep black fruits and red fruits with an earthiness foundation, this wine is a great casual red wine that can just as easily stack up against more hearty poultry and game dishes.

The story of wine is part of its magic, and the story of Clos de la Roilette is a funny one in particular. 

Clos de la Roilette lies in the Beaujolais countryside between the villages of Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent. Prior to the 1920's, wines made in Fleurie were classified under the famed appellation of Moulin-à-Vent, but that changed when the French government gave Fleurie its own appellation. The land owner of Clos de la Roilette was infuriated to find out that the lines had been drawn in a way that placed his vineyard up against the dividing line...... in Fleurie.

He was so angry at the fact that his wines would no longer be allowed to say "Moulin-à-Vent" on them that he chose to create a new label featuring a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, changed the name of his vineyard to Clos de la Roilette ("Roilette's enclosure"), and vowed to forever leave the appellation name of Fleurie off of his labels. 

By the mid-1960s that previous owner's heir's had lost interest in the site, and it had gone wild and untended. In 1976, Fernand Coudert bought the estate and over the years, he and his son Alain turned it around, while maintaining its renegade spirit. 

This is a 1.5 Liter 'Magnum' format.