100 years of excellence: Moulin-à-Vent celebrates its history and promising future!

In 1924, a handful of pioneering winemakers with boldness and vision laid the foundations of an exceptional story: that of the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. Located in northern Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent covers the communes of Romanèche-Thorins and Chénas. This year, 2024, marks the Centenary anniversary. As a producer and grower in this appellation, we’re delighted to be able to take part in the festivities organized by the Moulin-à-Vent Winegrowers’ Union : find out more here. It’s also an opportunity to recall how this great wine, both fruity and complex, is one of the standard-bearers of Beaujolais.

A legitimate “1er Cru” approach
For several years now, the Moulin-A-Vent cru has been working to gain recognition for some of its lieux-dits, and by the end of the year hopes to complete its dossier with a view to official submission to the INAO. In Burgundy, the “Premiers Crus” are vineyards classified just below the “Grands Crus”, recognized as exceptional terroirs. For Moulin-A-Vent, fourteen lieux-dits have been identified to apply for Premier Cru status. If these Premiers Crus were to exist in Beaujolais (as most Crus wish to apply to the INAO for 1er Cru status, and Fleurie, for example, has already done so), they would enjoy the same level of appellation as a Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru, a Chassagne Clos-Saint-Jean, or a Meursault Genevrières.

The most Burgundian of Beaujolais crus
Administratively, the Beaujolais region is part of the Burgundy wine-growing area, which covers both the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with the Rhône département (69), and the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, with the Saône-et-Loire département (71). Specifically, Moulin-A-Vent straddles two villages, one in 71 and the other in Rhône (69). What’s more, Romanèche-Thorins was once part of the Duchy of Burgundy. In addition to this particularity, MOULIN-A-VENT has a strong Beaujolais identity, with its Gamay Noir grape variety. It’s also worth noting that this year it was a Moulin-A-Vent that was voted “World’s Best Gamay”! In the Beaujolais landscape, Moulin-A-Vent enjoys a terroir with an average altitude of 250 meters: the lowest of the Beaujolais crus. The average slope of the vines is very moderate: 5 to 10%, which is not very steep compared to the rest of this very hilly Beaujolais vineyard. For more than 3/4 of the appellation, this means that weedkillers have already been banned, thanks to the ease with which the land can be mechanized. Last but not least, most of the vines benefit from East and South-East exposure, which favors excellent ripeness and berry concentration… harvesting is therefore quite early.

Moulin-A-vent wines from Maison Jean Loron
Historically, the Jean Loron heirs own plots of land in the commune of Romanèche-Thorins, not far from the famous Moulin-A-vent which gave its name to the appellation. Jean Loron’s ancestor was mayor of the commune of Chénas in the 18th century. Over the years, Maison Jean Loron has become the owner of some very fine plots in this cru, and has chosen to produce cuvées parcellaires, wines with a rich structure, elegant tannins and a long finish. To find out more about our range: https://www.loron.fr/appellation/moulin-a-vent/

And our last WINE WORKSHOP of the season, on Thursday May 16, is dedicated to this appellation. Info and booking here

An international reputation
In March, to launch this centenary, a press trip was organized by the Cru, bringing together journalists from the UK, USA, Canada, Denmark and France. We had the opportunity to welcome some of them and offer them an exclusive vertical tasting of vintages highlighting the quality and longevity of Moulin-à-Vent wines. At Jean Loron, we’re fortunate to have an incredible wine library, especially in this appellation!

If you’d like to discover the wines of Maison Jean Loron, “La Boutique” is open from MONDAY to SATURDAY and is located in La Chapelle-de-Guinchay (71). Did you know? The history of Maison Jean Loron and its cellars are also an opportunity to experience: LEARN MORE