Damien Coquelet

Vauxrenard, Beaujolais

Damien Coquelet is a leader of the young generation of natural Beaujolais producers. Despite starting his domaine at just 20 years old he is far from precocious. He has worked alongside his stepfather, George Descombes, since he was 10 years old. Georges is an original 'Gang of Five' member, which includes Foillard, Lapierre, Thevenet and Breton, who put quality Beaujolais back on the vinous map through subscription to the philosophies of Jules Chauvet, the godfather of natural winemaking in France.

Damien currently works 9 hectares of vines in Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages, Chiroubles and Morgon all farmed along biodynamic principals. Harvests are only by hand and yields are kept very low to around 30 hectolitres per hectare. He knows his region and vineyards intimately having grown up in them, soaking up the wisdom of the old timers whom he worked alongside. He is trusted such that even the mayor of Morgon leased him a prized parcel of Morgon Côte du Py vines on retirement.

In the winery Damien is completely non-interventionist, allowing natural yeasts to ferment whole bunches without temperature control or protection, no sulphur during élevage and little, if any, at bottling.

His philosophy for his style of Beaujolais is to create cuvées that represent their Crus and terroirs succinctly but above all have a piercing minerality and an essential vitality; they feel alive. Damien prefers to harvest early and even in warm years like ‘15 and ’18 the wines retain their freshness and are red-fruited. Damien himself is a livewire full of energy and the wines always reflect this.