Following in the footsteps of his legendary father Jean-Louis – one of Fleurie’s most respected and influential vignerons – Justin Dutraive is now a remarkable Beaujolais talent in his own right.
Justin grew up tasting the pioneering low-intervention wines made by his father’s friends and contemporaries – superlative Gamays from the likes of Marcel Lapierre, Yvon Métras, and Jean Foillard. After finishing wine school and interning with Foillard and Julie Balagny, Justin returned to work at his family’s historic estate, Domaine de la Grand’Cour.
In 2015, he took over a handful of vines below the village of Fleurie for his own winemaking project, as well as two lieux dits on the region’s famous pink granite soils: the tiny 90-year-old ‘Chapelle des Bois’ planted by his grandfather and a portion of ‘La Madone’ – a steep, south-facing slope that’s arguably the leading vineyard of the appellation.
Sharing Jean-Louis’s ethos of “minimal intervention; maximum surveillance”, Justin uses organic and biodynamic practices and no fining or filtration to craft high-quality Gamays. Vinified in fibreglass and aged in a combination of Burgundy demi-muids, foudres, and stainless-steel tanks, his wines combine ethereal perfumes with silky textures and finesse.
With Cru Beaujolais now deep into a much-deserved renaissance and the region full of young talent, Justin is making his mark as one of its brightest stars.
