Le Beaujolais
The wine advocate – 2020
Fleurie Sacré Graal 2016
« Like its Moulin-à-Vent counterpart, Duperray’s 2016 Fleurie Sacré Graal was sorted berry by berry to remove any fruit impacted by the hail to which its name punningly adverts, resulting in similarly derisory yields and equally thrilling quality. The bouquet is less complex than his Moulin-à-Vent’s but more direct, bursting with scents of Griotte cherries, rose petals and raspberries. But on the palate, the wine is if anything more reserved, revealing an immensely concentrated and seemingly infinitely layered core of lively fruit, velvety tannins and lively structuring acids, concluding with a sapid and thrillingly floral finish. Simultaneously enveloping and penetrating, this is a remarkable Fleurie and one that rivals its 2016 counterpart as among the very greatest young Beaujolais that I’ve tasted. »
Fleurie 2015
« A blend of Dupperay’s two parcels in Les Moriers and La Chapelle des Bois, the 2015 Fleurie is, if anything, more profound and slowly unfurls with aeration to reveal aromas of black raspberries, rose petals, licorice and Griotte cherry. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, satiny and multidimensional, with tangy balancing acids and a deep, super concentrated core that almost entirely conceals its structuring chassis of tannins. This is shut down for the long haul, but its immense potential is nonetheless impossible to miss. »
Moulin-à-Vent 2016
« A cuvée that incorporates all of the Moulin-à-Vent lieux-dits that Duperray bottles separately in more plentiful years, the 2016 Moulin-à-Vent was sorted berry by berry to remove all hail-impacted fruit, a labor of love that resulted in derisory yields but remarkable quality. Unfurling in the glass with scents of dried rose petals, plums, raspberries, peonies and dark chocolate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with immense concentration, rich but powdery tannins and lively acids, displaying a strikingly complete, seamless profile and concluding with a long, pungently floral finish. This is one of the few contemporary Beaujolais to evoke the region’s great wines from the inter- and post-War era. »
« Questionnant en permanence ces choix, Fabien Duperray fouille dans les entrailles du gamay et en tire des enseignements année après année. Les 2014 sont enfin en bouteille, ils ont gagné en précision, l’énergie est contenue et c’est déjà un véritable plaisir de les déguster. »
Guide Bettane + Desseauve – 2018
« Mention spéciale pour le fleurie Chapelle des Bois, qui nous régale par sa gourmandise et sa chair pulpeuse. Une bouteille plus accessible et plus avenante que le fleurie Les Moriers; cette cuvée sublime impose une bouche plus cossue, tout en gardant la gourmandise qui définit mieux que tout autre terme, les vins du Beaujolais. »
Guide Vert 2018 – Coup de Coeur Olivier Poussier
« Les fragrances fines de la violette unies au lys évoquent un parfum vaporeux. Au palais, c’est l’émotion d’un grand vin à la fois frais et plein qui vibre sur la langue. Un flacon à garder en mémoire de cave. »
RVF – Sept 2017
« … Beautiful texture that’s accented with a hint of dryness. Another great wine, whose energy makes this very accessible. »
Big Red Diary – Bill Hanson – 2015 reds from Jules Desjourneys
« Every region has its superstar producers. Beaujolais has the gang of five natural winemakers, but now there’s a new star who threatens to overshadow them all… »
wineanorak.com
Le Mâconnais
The wine advocate – 2020
Pouilly-Fuissé Ménétrières – 2016
« There are only 180 magnums of the 2016 Pouilly-Fuissé Ménétrières, and Dupperay is threatening to keep them all to himself; in the event that any bottles do find there way onto the market, readers shouldn’t think twice about acquiring them. Offering up notes of Anjou pear, dried flowers, honeycomb, hazelnut cream and iodine, it’s full-bodied, multidimensional and complete, with a layered and satiny attack, incredible depth and tangy acids, concluding with a long and electric finish. Powerful but weightless, it’s a remarkable achievement. Describing a wine as thrilling as this is always a challenge, but readers wishing to get a sense of its style and quality should imagine what a grand cru Puligny-Montrachet made by Arnaud Ente might taste like. »
Pouilly-Fuissé Ménétrières – 2017
« Once again, there are only 180 magnums of the 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Ménétrières, a bottling with which Duperray intends to demonstrate what is possible in the Mâconnais if no compromises are made. Unfurling in the glass with a deep but reserved bouquet that hints at green pear, confit citrus, white flowers and wet stones, the wine is full-bodied, ample and immensely layered, with huge volume and concentration allied with striking precision and a rare sense of weightlessness, concluding with a long and resonant finish. It’s hard to say, but with bottle age, it might turn out even better than the 2016 rendition—readers who are able to acquire both vintages will certainly immensely enjoy making the comparison. »
Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes de la Côte – 2016
« There are merely 1,400 magnums of the 2016 Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes de la Côte, but it is a fabulous wine that will be worth every effort to track down. Unfurling in the glass with notes of honeycomb, crisp yellow orchard fruits, waxy lemon rind, nutmeg and subtle touches of praline and sesame, it’s full-bodied, ample and enveloping, with stunningly satiny texture, a deep, multidimensional core and a bright line of acidity that defines the long and penetrating finish. »
Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes de la Côte – 2017
» The 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes de la Côte looks likely to be one of Duperray’s longest-lived whites of the vintage, opening in the glass with scents of confit lemon, pear, mint and petrol, with a very delicate framing of nutmeg and pastry cream from high-quality oak. On the palate, the wine is deep, full-bodied and muscular, with considerable concentration and structuring extract, underpinned by bright acids. This will need some time, but it will be well worth the wait. »
Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches – 2017
« The 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches is another brilliant success for Duperray, bursting from the glass with a lovely bouquet of Meyer lemons, fresh pear, linden, white tea and freshly baked bread. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a layered and immensely concentrated core, striking purity and a long, beautifully pure and delineated finish. While this is a powerful, large-scaled Pouilly-Fuissé, Duperray told me that the alcohol level is actually surprisingly low. »
Pouilly-Fuissé Les Cras – 2017
« A new lieu-dit bottling from Duperray is the 2017 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Cras, a superb wine that offers up aromas of ripe lemons, confit citrus, fresh bread, mandarin and beeswax that evoke a high-appellation Puligny-Montrachet. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and complete, with bright acids, terrific concentration and a long, lingering finish. »
« Sur les terroirs de Loché et Saint-Véran que l’on snobait encore hier, Duperray produit des quilles de folie… »
RVF – Mars 2018