Domaine Metrat

The Metrat family home and winery are to be found in the midst of the very highly regarded sector of Fleurie called “La Roilette”. La Roilette lies towards the bottom of the slope close to the border of Moulin a Vent and here the soil has a base of clay underneath the decomposed pink granite that is so typical of this area. This makes for wines that have a little more depth and structure than most other Fleuries.

‘A good Fleurie is a wine of medium weight which has an ample flavour absolutely crammed full with this fruit and is overwhelmingly seductive. Some Fleuries can be delicious as early as the spring after the vintage. Others need keeping for another 6 months.’ Clive Coates MW.

The Fleuries from the Metrat family fall into this latter category and these wines are now showing very well with the old vines cuvee having a little more dimension and finesse than the traditional cuvee. The winemaking by the Metrat family is traditional with fermentation in cement and no artificial yeasts used, crop levels are kept low and hand harvested. The wines show great purity of fruit with ample perfume and silky texture. The extraction of tannins is gentle and although these wines are generally drunk young these wines from the Metrat family can confidently be enjoyed over 5 or 10 years if you can manage to keep your hands off them!

‘If only all Chiroubles could be as well crafted as Bernard Métrat's!’ Neal Martin.

2023 - an outstanding vintage for this region offering wines of unparalelled charm and value.

The 2023 growing season parallels 2022 in terms of a warm and dry summer, with heat waves inflicting stress on younger vines with shallower roots. Picking commenced on September 1 with regard to Gamay. Tentatively, winemakers express more confidence about this vintage than 2022, as the heat was less intense.

Metrat started harvest on 6th September and there was a little rain on 11-12 September to freshen the vineyards with the overall sensation of ripe well-balanced wines that are showing well already.

2022 Chiroubles Constance (stelvin)
From vines aged more than 60 years old facing east south-east on sandy granitic soil. This vineyard is located higher on the slope than the Fleurie holdings of Metrat and vinification is made all in cement tanks with indigenous yeasts. Bright lifted sour cherry and red fruit aromas with a touch of sous-bois and spice. Fresh medium bodied palate backed by fine silky tannins. Showing beautifully already, this cuvee always displays excellent freshness with bright balanced acidity as a result of its higher cooler vineyard site.

2020 Chiroubles Scandaleuses (stelvin)
From vines aged more than 80 years old facing full south on sandy granitic soil. This vineyard in the lieu-dit of Cote Rotie is located higher on the slope than the Fleurie holdings of Metrat and vinification is made all in cement tanks with indigenous yeasts. Rich cherry and red fruit aromas with a touch of aniseed and exotic spices. Fresh full and deep palate backed by fine silky tannins. This cuvee was named after the lieu-dit Cote Rotie until a large producer from the northern Rhone launch legal proceedings around the use of the name Cote Rotie necessitating the change of name to Scandaleuses.

2022 Morgon Terre d’Alizarine (stelvin)
A new cuvee from Bernard with this being his second vintage produced. From just half a hectare of vines aged more than 70 years old facing full south on sandy granitic soil. The name is taken from from a plant that gives a red flower called Alizarine. Vinification is made all in cement tanks with 100% whole bunch and indigenous yeasts. Deep perfumed aromas with hints of violet and real depth and generosity and soft rich round tannins and exotic spices finishing fresh with balancing acidity. Drinking beautifully with fresh bright fruit and a full and deep palate backed by fine silky tannins giving this wine sufficient structure to develop for several years - but why wait when it is drinking so well now.

2023 Moulin a Vent La Belle Coudriere (stelvin)
From 60+ year old vines located just across the valley to the north of the winery not far from the famous windmill of Moulin a Vent. The vines here are east facing in granite soil and Moulin a Vent has a high presence of manganese which gives the wine its Moulin a Vent identity. This vineyard is slightly lower on the slope than his holding right in the centre of La Roilette (which sits adjacent to Moulin a Vent and which historically was considered part of Moulin a Vent), and close to the family winery less than 1km away. Always among the richest and deepest of wines with more structure and ageing capacity this cuvee is particularly successful in 2023 with the tannic structure of the wine well covered by the ripeness and fleshy generosity of the vintage. Ripe and intense in 2023 showing a hint berry liqueur overlaying a firm mineral core. The harvest is all by hand with selection and sorting in the vineyard and winery. Maceration is carried out on 100% whole bunch fermenting semi-carbonic with indigenous yeasts lasting between 15 and 20 days on skins. The grapes are pressed then settled with fermentation continuing for 8 to 10 days, at 18 degrees to trigger the malolactic process. Aging lasts 18 months: 50% in 5-year-old oak barrels and 50% in vats.
The color is deep saturated ruby. The nose expresses floral notes such as iris and violet as well as morello cherry and undergrowth. The palate offers soft tannins on gourmet aromas such as ripe black fruits like cherry, mushrooms, tobacco, and spices. They leave a long finish on licorice.

2022 Fleurie La Roilette Vieilles Vignes (750 + magnums)
From vines planted 1924 and 1936. La Roilette is regarded as one of the best sites in Fleurie, and this old vines cuvee (60-90+ years old vines) is produced from a patch of vines planted in pink granite-clay soil located beside the winery in the northern part of the appellation beside Moulin-a-Vent. 15% of this cuvee is vinified in barrel (none new) giving extra dimension to its freshness and perfume, will also age for 10+ years. This is Gamay at it’s finest and beautifully perfumed best.
‘La Roilette cru sits on very deep black granite. Historically, La Roilette used to be part of Moulin-à-Vent, which borders it to the east. In 1920, when Fleurie was demarcated, La Roilette ended up in Fleurie. This wine comes from vines planted in the 1920s and 1930s, and it has amazing density and precision.’ Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com.

2020 Fleurie La Roilette (stelvin) - SOLD OUT
From vines planted after 1945 this cuvee consists of the ‘younger vines’ mostly 40-60 years old planted in the heart of this outstanding lieu-dit La Roilette. This is also vinified in large cement vats with very gentle vinification of gently submerging the cap of the ferments giving very fine tannins. Each year we taste the different cuvees with Bernard we agonise about which cuvee of La Roilette to buy and for the tiny difference in price we usually opt for the vieilles vignes cuvee although in warmer years it is often the classic La Roilette cuvee which shows best in the first few years. This cuvee always has excellent depth and character right after bottling so in 2020 we have selected this cuvee - so you dont need to wait to enjoy this cuvee right now.