About this wine
A blend from parcels of vines over 40 years old, L'Alchimiste sits between the immediacy of Les Cocottes and the gravitas of Les Labourons. Fully destemmed and given slightly more extended maceration than Les Cocottes, it is aged around 15 months in a mix of concrete tanks and neutral oak barrels of varying sizes, giving it more structure while retaining Fleurie's signature perfume.
A great "next step" wine once you've enjoyed Les Cocottes and want to see more structure from Fleurie.
Sommelier's Note
"L'Alchimiste lives up to its name — it transmutes old-vine Gamay into something with the poise of a serious Côte d'Or red."
Food Pairings
Its silky tannins and bright acidity make it a great match for pan-seared duck breast with a cherry gastrique, as well as charcuterie and aged goat cheese.
When to drink it
A dinner party centerpiece, especially alongside roasted or braised meats.
Specs
- Grape Varieties
- Gamay
- Style
- Red
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Price Range
- ¥6,000-8,500 (est., converted from overseas retail pricing; not yet confirmed at Japanese retail)
Terroir & Winemaking
100% destemmed Gamay from vines over 40 years old; aged approx. 15 months in concrete tanks and neutral oak barrels of various sizes; unfined, unfiltered.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does 'L'Alchimiste' mean and why is the wine named that?
- It means 'The Alchemist' in French, reflecting how Anne-Sophie Dubois transforms simple old-vine Gamay into a structured, Burgundian-styled wine through her winemaking process.
- How is L'Alchimiste different from Les Labourons?
- L'Alchimiste is a blend from several old-vine parcels aged in a mix of concrete and oak, while Les Labourons comes from a single lieu-dit and is aged entirely in neutral oak barrels.
- What does L'Alchimiste taste like?
- Violet and cassis notes mingle with mulberry and purple plum, with a medium body, fresh acidity, and silky tannins.
- Can L'Alchimiste be aged?
- Yes, its structure allows it to develop well over 5+ years, though it also drinks beautifully with a short decant when young.
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Talk to the SommelierMore wines from this producer
レ・ラブロン
Les Labourons
RedGamay
Anne-Sophie Dubois's flagship Fleurie, named after the single lieu-dit "Les Labourons" where her oldest vines grow at 380 meters on shallow, sandy soils over pink granite bedrock. Formerly bottled under the name "Clepsydre" through the 2016 vintage, it was renamed to honor the specific parcel after the estate received organic certification. The grapes are entirely destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in the Burgundian tradition she learned working in Volnay, then aged around 13 months in 228-liter neutral oak barrels. No fining, no filtration, and movement by gravity alone.
レ・ココット
Les Cocottes
RedGamay
Anne-Sophie Dubois's most immediate, crowd-pleasing Fleurie — a blend of her younger parcels vinified with 100% whole clusters using semi-carbonic maceration, the one nod to Beaujolais tradition in a range otherwise built on Burgundian technique. Released the spring after harvest, it is meant to be opened young and often.
サン・デトゥール
Sans Detour
RedGamaret · Gamay
A Vin de France cuvée built around Gamaret — a Swiss-bred cross involving Gamay that is not an authorized variety within the Beaujolais AOC — blended with Gamay. Anne-Sophie Dubois planted Gamaret out of curiosity and bottles it outside the appellation system as "Sans Detour" ("without detour"), a hand-picked, native-yeast-fermented, unfined and unfiltered wine from her certified-organic vineyard.