WINE EVENT! Beaujolais: An introduction to Yohan Lardy with Chris Harag of Vintrepid Wines (Thurs 3rd April)

Welcoming speaker of the evening, Chris Harag of Vintrepid Wines to The Oak Barrel!

A fifth generation winemaker, Yohan Lardy completed his oenological studies in Beaune, and also spent time working for a biodynamic producer in Chile, before returning home to Beaujolais. Yohan credits his time in Chile in shaping his style and natural approach to winemaking…

“I already had some pretty set ideas about looking after the vines in a more natural way, and the wines too. For me it’s really something that comes from the heart, it’s something I’m passionate about. It wasn’t a business decision, it was more about nature.”

Everything is manual labour and hard work with all harvesting by hand and ploughing throughout the vineyards, and the use of only natural fertilisers and no sulphites. In the cellar he follows the classic Beaujolais method of carbonic maceration, using whole bunches, ambient yeasts and spontaneous fermentation.

The first established holdings of the domaine are located in Moulin-a-Vent: “Les Michelons,” a 2-hectare walled vineyard planted in 1911 and 1950, and “Vignes de 1903,” a single vineyard planted in 1903. “I decided to isolate this vineyard in order to conserve it as long as possible, and to work in this plot like the older generations with tradition and respect to nature.”
In addition,Yohan now also farms tiny parcels in Fleurie, “Le Vivier”, which is 0.5ha and Chénas, “Les Deschamps”, which is 0.22ha. In total, he now owns about 8 ha of vines split between Fleurie, Moulin à Vent, Chenas and Beaujolais-Villages.

All grapes are hand-picked and vinified as whole bunches with native yeasts and without sulfur. Fermentation takes place in concrete or polyethylene tanks. During warmer vintages, he’ll use a cold soak to preserve the crunchy red fruit character, avoiding over-ripe or over-extracted fruit.The wines are aged for at least 10 months in Burgundy barrels to get the best balance between fruit and acidity. Yohan is a young winemaker with an old soul, producing generous, deep, and meditative wines that reflect his own charm and experience. His wines are celebrated for a very aromatic, fruit-forward profile, with a complex, terroir-driven character and enjoyably soft tannins.

Furthermore, to kick off the night, Chris will also be featuring 3 wines from Vouvray prodcuer Benjamin Serer, a winemaker from Vouvray producing great Chenin Blancs, including a zero dosage sparkling. In Chris’s words…

“Benjamin’s story is a nice one. He was an acclaimed chef in paris for none other than Alain Ducasse (3 stars Michelin if you don’t mind), moved back to Tours and opened his own brasserie before catching the vinous bug. He did internships with Vincent Caremme and Clos Naudin before renting some very old Chenin vines in 2019 and the domaine was born.

In 2022 he had the oppiortunity to purchase some prized vinayard plots on the ‘premiere cote’ totalling 5.4 HA. One of them is practically next to Huet’s famous Clos du Bourg parcel.
I could write at length about these wines but i dont have the space. They just simply must be tried. Chiselled, vibrant and mouth watering. Stunning modern-day Vouvray from the regions new star.”

Chris Harag has over a decade experience in the London wine trade, where he worked with some of the worlds best producers including Yohan Lardy.

After a 5-year stint back home in Sydney with a top European importer he decided to set up Vintrepid Wines 12 months ago. Yohan was the first domaine he imported and since then he has built a small, quality focused portfolio with focus on Loire, Beaujolais and southern Burgundy.

The Oak Barrel welcomes Chris to our Tasting Room to showcase Yohan Lardy’s and Benjamin Serer’s great wines! On pour…