A fantastic new top-scoring red from Beaujolais and new producer to discover Domaine Anita. High recommended. 98 Points James Suckling: "How can you resist this truly extraordinary wine that redefines Beaujolais? Extremely concentrated yet also incredibly elegant, it has an almost supernatural vibrancy that blasts its way out of the conventions of the appellation. The delicate salinity adds an extra dimension of tension in the finish, making this dangerously exciting. Yes, there’s a cornucopia of black fruit, but none of this extravagance is too much. From a five-hectare block of vines in the Aux Caves lieu-dit, which is south-facing and has a sandy granitic soil." 93 Points Robert Parker: "The Domaine Anita 2022 Moulin-à-Vent Reine de Nuit is wonderfully aromatic on the nose with notes of crunchy black fruits, lilac petals, licorice and candied peel. The wine is medium to full-bodied and rounded with a salivating core of ripe fruit, framed by a layer of slate-like salinity and wispy tannins, with impressive length and a mouthwatering, poignant finish. Refined, yet oh-so generous, this is a standout for the lineup and comes highly recommended." One of three separate cuvées Anita produces from her holdings in the Moulin-a-Vent vineyard of Les Caves, “Reine de Nuit” (“Queen of the Night”) comes from a 1.3-hectare planting of 40-year-old Gamay in manganese-rich granite with southeastern exposition, situated at 280 meters altitude. Its name refers to Anita’s practice of harvesting the fruit for this bottling at night, between 3:00 AM and 9:00 AM, to capture as much freshness as possible. Aged six months in cement after a classic whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration, “Reine de Nuit” is almost Pinot Noir-like in its sumptuous fruit and refined carriage, and while it offers a sense of structure appropriate for its cru, the tannins are remarkably suave.
WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.