Nestor Belicard farms five and a half hectares of vines surrounding the village of Lancié, nestled in between Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent in the Beaujolais hills, where his family has been since the winery was built over 300 years ago. Having grown up here and graduated from oenology and viticulture in 1995, Nestor returned home to manage the estate in 2017 after a colourful thirty-year-long career travelling the world while working as an engineer. Since then he has developed a passionate connection with his family heritage and a keen interest in the farming history of the area – in particular, in the farming practices of Beaujolais before the industrialisation of agriculture that occurred after the Second World War. This connection inspired Nestor to begin both the conversion of the vineyards to organics in April 2018 and a move away from the use of sulphur in the winery.

Fermentations are long and largely take place in century-old, large, wooden vats, with much work done to ensure soft extractions of colour and tannin and, ultimately, balanced and fruity wines. The idea for La Blouge a Nestor – gamay with a 10% inclusion of chardonnay, lightly macerated and co-fermented – was inspired by a conversation Nestor had with friend and fellow winemaker Cyril Alonso. Delicate, bright and very primary, the cuvee embodies a touch of the playful vin de soif style of winemaking for which the Beaujolais villages are so loved, yet with a distinctive shade of red fruit that speaks to the ongoing work Nestor has been doing in the vineyard.