Michel Guignier, Beaujolais, 2023

This is Beaujolais made the hard way so it can drink the easy way. Michel Guignier farms old-vine Gamay on decomposed granite around the forested village of Vauxrenard, biodynamic and organic certified, ploughing some plots with a horse and adding nothing to the wine he calls simply pure juice. All that obsessive farming pours out as pure, carefree pleasure: crunchy red berries, a whisper of earthy spice, and a silky, weightless feel with no makeup in sight. Give it a slight chill and it's the definition of a Tuesday-night crowd-pleaser that happens to have real conviction behind it. Gulpable, honest, and completely charming.