Domaine Grégoire Hoppenot

Grégoire Hoppenot launched his own domaine in Fleurie in 2018, but his story really began years earlier when he was scouting vineyards across Beaujolais for Maison Trénel, the négociant house owned by Chapoutier. That experience gave him an insider's view of the region's best sites. He also spent time learning from Pierre-Marie Chermette, one of the masters of Gamay. When he finally decided to go solo, he knew exactly where to look. He set up shop in Les Roches, right across the road from the legendary Clos de la Roilette, and secured leases on some of the most coveted parcels in Fleurie and Morgon.

His vineyards span about nine hectares, spread across several exceptional climats. Les Garants sits just above the village of Fleurie, with infertile granite soils studded with quartz, facing south-southwest. Some vines here are 60 years old. Les Moriers, perched near the border with Moulin-à-Vent, has even older vines, some reaching 90 years, growing in sandy granite at 340 meters elevation. Then there's Clos de l'Amandier, a monopole in the prized Poncié climat, with steep south-facing slopes. His parcel in Morgon's Corcelette is a near-vertical wall of shallow granite. Each site brings something different to his wines.

The Winemaker

Greg was named Newcomer of the Year by La Revue du Vin de France in 2020, just two years after his debut vintage. He's meticulous in the vineyards, farming organically and keeping his holdings intentionally small so he can control every detail. He describes his winemaking style as sans fard, which means without makeup. Everything is done to let the terroir speak. He ferments whole clusters with native yeasts in concrete tanks, keeps temperatures gentle, and adds minimal sulfur only after malolactic fermentation is complete. The wines are aged in concrete or used Burgundy barrels, never new oak. He's converting to certified organic status and works each parcel by hand, picking carefully to ensure only the best fruit makes it to the cellar.

The Wines

Hoppenot produces several cuvées from his Fleurie holdings. Origines is his entry-level blend, combining fruit from Les Garants, Les Roches, and La Roilette. It's approachable, floral, and meant for earlier drinking. Indigène comes from younger vines in Les Garants and Les Roches, farmed organically since planting. Then there are the single-vineyard bottlings: Les Moriers, which many consider his most transcendent wine, Clos de l'Amandier from his monopole in Poncié, and a Morgon from Corcelette. He also makes a Beaujolais Blanc from Chardonnay sourced from a collaborator in the northern part of the appellation. His wines show elegance, precision, and a vibrant expression of granite, with silky textures and bright red fruit balanced by mineral tension.