Chermette's 2010 Fleurie Les Garants - from a spot below Poncie with a southwestern exposure - exhibits dark berries in a more luscious profusion than that of the corresponding Poncie and accompanied by a whiff of game. The trade-off is less focus, energy, and brightness, though this is the marginally more flattering wine today. Hints of coriander, salt, and berry seed add to the interest and stimulation of a fine finish. Like its immediate sibling, this ought to be worth following for 4-5 years. Pierre Chermette - for more about whom, consult in particular my report in issue 184 - didn't start picking his 2010s until September 23rd, with Moulin-a-Vent and Fleurie Les Garants; and completed his harvest of the estate's majority Appellation Beaujolais vineyards on October 5. "Really, the quality was comparable to that of 2009," he asserts, "just at a full degree less alcohol and with higher acidity. Vinification was easy." Yields, he adds, were comparable, and only a slightly more stringent selection of fruit was required than in 2009.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

Like his other wines of the vintage, Chermette’s 2009 Fleurie Les Garants – from lower down than Poncie and with southwestern inclination, but essentially the same soil – lacks the dark color that marks so many 2009s. Scents of fresh blackberry and purple plum adumbrate a generously juicy palate with a vivid sense of fruit pit and berry seed. The Poncie is cooler in personality though still full of energy, whereas the Les Garants is richer on the palate and more overtly (in this case black-) fruited. A pungent smokiness and tactile sense of stony underlying minerality characterize this wine’s positively gripping finish, and as it opens, elusive hints of spice and further minerality emerge. I would plan on following this outstanding value for half a dozen years, if not longer. Pierre Chermette – for more about whom, consult my report in issue 184 – picked his crus from September 7-15 and his vines in the South of Beaujolais the week following, managing to keep alcohols below 13.5%.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

From similarly middle-aged vines on decomposed granite, Chermette’s 2008 Fleurie Les Garants – from some of the highest elevations in its appellation, and like the Couderts’ Clos de la Roilette, classified as Moulin-a-Vent until 1927 – evinces a smoky, alkaline overlay to its panoply of ripe yet tart fruits. Reflecting its late harvest, there is a spicy intensity and abundance of inner-mouth esters yet as always from this site, an energy and brightness – in this instance of cherry and rhubarb – but this year an especially serious sense of grip, and a less treble, high-toned personality than the Poncie. Here too, 4-5 years’ bottle potential seems a conservative estimate. Pierre Chermette has successfully expanded from his base in southern Beaujolais without quality in any way suffering; on the contrary his mastery of the northern Beaujolais crus is now also a fait accompli. With the new generation coming on and with lots of new plans, following these wines – which, of course, includes in your own cellar – is going to continue to be exciting. Prices have crept upward, but given the quality – not to mention the labors needed to achieve it – one can hardly complain. Yields were very low in 2008, a condition, Chermette opines, for achieving genuine and complete ripeness. (Note that since Chermette’s label now features his name writ large and “Vissoux” in tiny letters, I have listed his wines accordingly.)Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800