Jean-Claude Lapalu, Beaujolais Villages Vieilles Vignes, Beaujolais, France

Never mind the Gilets Jaunes, Beaujolais was the crucible of the revolution. The natural wine one. Jean Chauvet was a chemist come winemaker who saw the negative impact of excess agrochemical practices on soil health and started experimenting with organic farming and natural winemaking -  using just wild yeast ferments, no enzymes, sulphur etc. A few other local producers, which became known as the gang of four, one of whom was M. Lapalu, saw what he was doing and enthusiastically joined in. Beaujolais is sometimes seen as a wine that isn’t “serious” but this wine is properly complex and delicious. It repays decanting and giving some air and attention. While it has Gamay’s intrinsic approachability and low tannin, it has lots going on, dark berry fruits and savouriness. Great with duck, pates and other foods with a bit of fat