Clos de la Roilette

Clos de la Roilette is a wine producer located in the village of Fleurie within the Beaujolais region. The estate gained its current identity in the 1920s when the Fleurie appellation was established. The original owner, Monsieur Crozet, was dissatisfied that his land was no longer classified as Moulin-à-Vent and responded by removing the name Fleurie from his labels. He named the estate after his champion racehorse, Roilette, and focused exclusively on export markets to avoid selling his wine within France. In 1967, Fernand Coudert purchased the then-neglected property and began replanting the vineyards. His son Alain Coudert joined the business in 1984 and has managed the winemaking since 1991, assisted recently by his son Alexis.

The estate manages approximately 14 hectares of vines, with the core nine hectares situated in the Clos de la Roilette lieu-dit bordering Moulin-à-Vent. Unlike the granite soils typical of Fleurie, this specific site contains significant deposits of clay and manganese. These soil conditions contribute to a denser structure and deeper color in the finished wines. Farming follows sustainable practices often described as lutte raisonnée, with manual labor used for the older parcels. In the cellar, the family utilizes traditional whole-cluster fermentation and semi-carbonic maceration. They rely on indigenous yeasts and perform aging in large, neutral oak foudres to preserve fruit clarity.

The producer is best recognized for its ability to produce Gamay with significant longevity, often compared to the wines of neighboring Moulin-à-Vent or the Pinot Noir of Burgundy. The standard Fleurie bottling is the primary offering, while the Cuvée Tardive is sourced from vines older than 80 years and intended for long-term cellaring. Another specialized bottling, Griffe du Marquis, is aged in used Burgundy barrels to provide a different textural profile. Clos de la Roilette maintains a reputation for making serious, structured wines that contrast with the lighter style common in other parts of the Fleurie appellation.