La Dernière Goutte
Cyrille Vuillod has headed up La Derniere Goutte since 2012. Before launching himself into winemaking, Cyrille worked a series of jobs in his native Hautes-Alpes region, but he always loved wine purely out of the enjoyment he took in drinking it. He worked for years in Beaujolais doing harvests for friends to earn extra money in his off-season. He finally decided to take up the métier of vigneron full-time. He dedicated himself to a three-year apprenticeship of sorts in the cellar of Jean-Claude Lapalu, an extremely respected figure in the world of natural wine and someone whose experimental and boundary-pushing spirit has rubbed off on Cyrille. In 2011, Cyrille produced a first vintage of his own in Lapalu’s cellar, and since then he has been producing at his own place on the edge of Brouilly: La Derniere Goutte.
Cyrille works just under 5 ha and has always farmed organically without certification. In fact, he chose to use the organically permitted sprays in his first three years of farming, but has since forgone their use completely. Now Cyrille also works biodynamically. Cyrille farms a patchwork of parcels around Vaux-en-Beaujolais filled with gnarly old vines on pink granitic sand, flint, and clay.
He is equally as conscientious in the cellar, allowing the pristine farming to shine through by refraining from the use of any additives during the process. Nowadays, no sulfur is used at any point in the winemaking, and all wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. No vintage is exactly the same chez Vuillod, and Cyrille is prone to change the vinification of each cuvée from year to year. Cyrille himself grows gamay exclusively, but he has recently started purchasing other grapes such as chardonnay and riesling from neighbors and friends. He also experiments with qvevri and concrete egg containers for aging. Cyrille has a real renegade spirit, and his willingness and ability to buck the system and push the boundaries of what can be done in Beaujolais draw us into his charming wines which are so singular in the glass. Tasting La Derniere Goutte is always a worthwhile experience.
Wines
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Tisane de Bois Tordu 2022
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Beaujolais
Variety: Gamay
Soil: Flint and clay over granite
Vine Age: 30-50 years
Farming: practicing biodynamic
Vinification: Each individual parcel is macerated semi-carbonically over periods ranging from 10-15 days. Everything is basket pressed, and the juice for this cuvée was aged in both used barrique and concrete vat for 6 months before bottling without fining, filtration, or sulfitage. Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: None
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La Baleine Ivre 2022
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Beaujolais
Variety: Gamay Soils: Pink granitic sand
Vine Age: 40-80 years
Farming: practicing biodynamic
Vinification: Each individual parcel is macerated semi-carbonically over periods ranging from 10-15 days. The grapes for this cuvée come from two parcels, one of “young vines of about 40 years age” and the other a blend of young and old vines - the exact same parcels that make up “Gamay de Bonheur” (right). Both parcels for this cuvée saw élevage in used barrique for 8 months before bottling without fining, filtration, or sulfitage.
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: none
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Gamay de Bonheur 2022
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Beaujolais
Variety: Gamay
Soils: Pink granitic sand
Vine Age: 40-80 years
Farming: practicing biodynamic
Vinification: Each individual parcel is macerated semi-carbonically over periods ranging from 10-15 days. The grapes for this cuvée come from two parcels, one of “young vines of about 40 years age” and the other a blend of young and old vines - the exact same parcels that make up “La Baleine Ivre” (left). Both parcels for this cuvée saw élevage in used barrique for 8 months before bottling without fining, filtration, or sulfitage.
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: none
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Sang Neuf 2022
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Beaujolais
Variety: Gamay
Soils: Pink granitic sand
Vine Age: 40 years
Farming: practicing biodynamic
Vinification: Each individual parcel is macerated semi-carbonically over periods ranging from 10-15 days. Everything is basket pressed, and the juice for this cuvée was aged for a year in concrete egg before bottling without fining, filtration, or sulfitage. For this cuvée, only the aging vessel remains constant, and the origin of the juice that goes into it changes from year to year. Hence the name, sang neuf, meaning new blood (that goes into the container). Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: none
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Moonwalk 2022
Appellation: Vin de France Region: Beaujolais Variety: Gamay Soils: Pink granitic sand Farming: practicing biodynamic Vinification: Each individual parcel is macerated semi-carbonically over periods ranging from 10-15 days. Everything is basket pressed, and the juice undergoes an élevage in different containers including used barrique and ceramic tank for 9 months before bottling without fining, filtration, or sulfitage. Fining: none Filtration: none Sulfitage: none
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Dolia 2022
Appellation: Vin de France Region: Beaujolais Variety: Gamay Soils: Pink granitic sand Vine Age: >100 years Farming: practicing biodynamic Vinification: The grapes for this cuvée, which come from centenary vines, see an extended 60 day semi-carbonic maceration. Everything is basket pressed, and the juice is aged 9 months in underground qvevri (dolia) buried in a unique patio structure built by Cyrille himself. It is then bottled without fining, filtration, or sulfitage. Fining: none Filtration: none Sulfitage: none
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Frenche ton Gamay 2023
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Beaujolais
Variety: Gamay
Soil: Pink granitic sand
Farming: practicing biodynamic
Vinification: This cuvée is an en primeur bottling ¾ of which is wine from Cyrille and the remaining composed of direct press juice from his partner, Maude Rochette. As it is bottled en primeur in October after harvest, it does not see a specific élevage regimen. The cuvée name implores us french kiss your gamay. We concur!
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: None
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Gamay Pet-Nat 2023
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Beaujolais
Variety: Gamay
Soils: Decomposed granite
Farming: practicing biodynamic
Vinification: The 2023 pet-nat is composed of jus de saigné from different maceration tanks and bottled at harvest. Disgorged in January 2024.
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: none
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Coquette 2022
Appellation: Vin de France
Region: Alsace
Variety: Riesling
Soils: Clay limestone
Farming: Biodynamic
Vinification: “Coquette” is a grape exchange project with Alsatian winemaker Philippe Brand through whom Cyrille acquires riesling and launches a new winemaking experiment in his cellar each year. In 2022, he decided to make a pet-nat from the riesling, macerating the grapes for 8 days before bottling. The wine was then disgorged in December 2023 after one year of élevage in bottle.
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Sulfitage: none
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Blanc d’Oeuf 2022
Appellation: Vin de France Region: Beaujolais Variety: Chardonnay, riesling Soils: Granite Farming: organic Vinification: The fruit for this cuvée is purchased from a neighbor in Beaujolais. Cyrille did a short 8 day maceration on the skins before élevage in ceramic egg for 9 months. At bottling the chardonnay was blended with a small amount of riesling raised in Georgian qvevri which makes up 16% of the final blend. Fining: none Filtration: none Sulfitage: none
