MATHILDE et STEPHEN DURIEU

Saint-Étienne-des-Oullières, Beaujolais

Stephen Durieu is a true son of Beaujolais, having first worked his family’s vines, and then under the tutelage of Brouilly legend Jean-Paul Lapalu. In 2000, Stephen began his own domaine by piecing together a few holdings from relatives and friends in the area. Eventually, he was able to secure a humble cellar in the hamlet of St. Etienne-des-Oullières, which was accompanied by a historical plot of Gamay planted in 1918. Lu y es Tu had found its permanent home.  

In 2010, he met his future wife Mathilde, with whom he runs the domaine to this day. They have slowly amassed roughly 8HA of holdings in the area south of Brouilly, all of which are classified as Beaujolais-Villages. Vines range in age from about 60-100 years old, and most are densely planted at 10,000 per hectare. In all aspects of production, the Durieu’s do everything themselves, and always by hand. The domaine has maintained Ecocert status since 2005, and any new vineyards are immediately converted to organic if not already. There is an overarching view that the stewardship of these beautiful old vines is best achieved through careful and judicious practices throughout the year.

Of course, the commitment to natural practices extends to the cellar. Nothing is added throughout the process, save for a tiny dose of SO2 at bottling. Each wine, usually representative of an individual site, is treated the same way: partial carbonic maceration, spontaneous fermentations, and aging in concrete tank. Oak is never used in the cellar. The wines are fresh, quaffable, and energetic, while offering a transparent and vibrant reflection of their individual terroirs.