Julie Balagny

History of Domaine Julie Balagny

Julie Balagny's story is one of a radical break with her origins. Born into a bourgeois Parisian family, nothing predestined her to become a winemaker. In 1999, driven by a deep longing for the countryside, she left Paris for the South-West. A vocational qualification in viticulture and oenology in Cahors opened the doors of the wine world to her. Her early days in the vineyards of Roussillon led her to discover, almost by chance, "organic" food at a neighbouring market gardener's: "I told myself I had just eaten the first real tomato of my life." The revelation was total. She then joined a biodynamic estate in Nîmes, Domaine Terre des Chardons, where she spent four years training in the principles of biodynamics and natural wine.

In 2004, at a méchoui barbecue, she met Marcel Lapierre, the "godfather" of Beaujolais natural wine. This encounter changed her path. She then met Yvon Métras, who motivated her to "set up her own estate" in Beaujolais. In 2009, she settled in Romanèche-Thorins, produced her first Fleurie in Yvon Métras's cellar, and progressively acquired her first plots on the steep slopes of En Rémont. In 2015, she extended her estate with two new leased plots (Beaujolais-Villages and Moulin-à-Vent). In 2016, after a devastating hailstorm, she added négociant wines to offer Minouche (Saint-Amour). Her cellar and home in Romanèche-Thorins, whose door was always wide open, welcomed cats, dogs, hens and lambs as readily as winemakers from around the world who came seeking her inspiration. Julie Balagny passed away in the spring of 2023, leaving an immense legacy. Her right-hand man Brice Grizonnet, alias "Docteur Briçou" (whose name is borne by the Moulin-à-Vent cuvée), bottled the last wines of the 2022 vintage in July 2024, and today vinifies the En Rémont vines.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Julie Balagny

The domaine de Julie Balagny was centred on 3 hectares of a single contiguous plot in Fleurie, on the very steep and isolated slopes of En Rémont. These plots, perched high up, cannot be mechanised: all work is done by hand, often with the help of a winch and a mountain plough. The slopes reach 45 degrees in places. The vines are between 30 and 100 years old, some are nearly a century old. The soils display great geological diversity within a small area: granite mixed with pebbles and sand (En Rémont general), granite and quartz (cuvée En Rémont, the most mineral expression), and granite and basalt (Cayenne, the most spiced and full-bodied expression). En Rémont forms a preserved enclave amid a much more conventional vineyard, "well isolated from the pesticide-infested plain".

To this were added leased plots: B…j.l..s comes from one hectare of 70-year-old vines on sandy slopes in Émeringes, on the border of Juliénas; Docteur Briçou comes from a plot in Moulin-à-Vent whose vines were planted in 1913. Minouche is sourced from grapes purchased in Saint-Amour. Julie treated her vines with herbal teas made from rhubarb roots from Eure-et-Loire, in a spirit of consistency and local sourcing that rejected any organic certification after 2015 (she dropped the AB label because "the certifications drove her up the wall"). She ploughed with a plough, pressed by hand, and lived "rather in the old-fashioned way."

Winemaking at Domaine Julie Balagny

Julie Balagny vinified according to the principles of Jules Chauvet and the natural Beaujolais school. The grapes spent 24 hours in a cold room before being placed as whole clusters in concrete or fibreglass vats. An injection of CO2 at the time of filling the vat (but never after). Carbonic maceration for approximately 3 weeks. She never used a starter culture, but could resort to lees from other vats in the event of a sluggish fermentation. After pressing in her old manual mechanical press, the wines completed their alcoholic fermentation before being transferred into old oak barrels to spend the winter. No added sulphur. No oenological inputs. No fining or filtration. The wines combined "a pure, crystalline fruit, an electric acidity, and an almost infinite drinkability." Julie could sometimes choose to label her wines as Vin de France rather than AOC to avoid inspections by control agents, in a spirit of absolute freedom.

The Cuvées of Domaine Julie Balagny

Fleurie En Rémont: The estate's flagship cuvée and the wine that made Julie Balagny's reputation. Sourced from the majority of the En Rémont vines, on granite soil rich in quartz. The oldest vines are nearly a century old. Carbonic maceration for 3 weeks, aged in old barrels. A red wine of crystalline minerality and incomparable purity of fruit, with a remarkable ageing potential. Notes of cherry, iris, and quartzite minerality. The cult cuvée for enthusiasts around the world, with an ageing potential of a good ten years or more.

Fleurie Cayenne: A red cuvée sourced from the portion of En Rémont vines on granite and basalt soil, giving a spicier, fuller-bodied character than the granite-quartz En Rémont. Carbonic maceration, aged in old barrels. A red wine of fine depth and a different texture from En Rémont, with aromas of dark fruits, spices, and a basaltic smoky touch. Two Cayenne bottlings could coexist depending on the vines (vines of 60 to 100 years old depending on the plots).

Fleurie Simone: A confidential red cuvée sourced from an intra-plot selection within En Rémont, isolating the oldest century-old vines on the most quartz-rich soils. Produced only in great vintages. A red wine built for long ageing and collecting, of incomparable finesse and minerality. Among the most sought-after Beaujolais cuvées at auction.

Vin de France / Fleurie O Bella Ciao: A "total" red cuvée blending the Fleurie vines into a single wine in years when Julie decided not to separate En Rémont and Cayenne. "A perfect illustration of that alliance of lightness, fruit and minerality." In certain vintages labelled Vin de France to avoid AOC inspections.

Vin de France B…j.l..s: A red cuvée sourced from one hectare of old 70-year-old vines on sandy slopes in Émeringes (Beaujolais-Villages), on the border of Juliénas, farmed under a lease. The most accessible and most immediate cuvée of the estate. "Fruity and cheeky, with a pleasingly lingering finish." The entry point into Julie's universe, to be drunk young and without ceremony.

Vin de France Docteur Briçou: A red cuvée sourced from a plot in Moulin-à-Vent whose vines were planted in 1913, farmed under a lease. Formerly known as Docteur Buchaille. Named after the nickname of Brice Grizonnet, Julie's right-hand man, to whom she pays tribute in this way. 93/100 according to an American taster. A deep, structured red wine expressing all the power and minerality of Moulin-à-Vent from nearly century-old vines.

Vin de France Minouche: A red cuvée made from organically grown grapes purchased in Saint-Amour, bearing Brice Grizonnet's nickname and rounding out the range with this northernmost cru. A fragrant, floral red wine, typical of Saint-Amour. One of the most confidential and sought-after cuvées in the range.

Vin de France François / Toccata: Confidential cuvées from the Julie Balagny range, named after people or musical references, in the spirit of freedom and poetry that characterized all her labels. "The name of the story they tell: anecdotes from the winemaking, the hazards of the vine, or incongruous memories from the harvest — everything is fodder for the imagination." Vinified according to the same natural philosophy.