Why it matters
The producer
Jules Chauvet supplies the first name in Domaine Jules Desjourneys. Fabien Duperray's domaine works with Gamay in Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent, alongside a Chardonnay project in the Mâconnais. The red holdings cover 7 hectares, while the white vineyards are farmed with Christophe Thibert across 10 hectares.
The domaine practices biodynamic viticulture while its wines are labeled organic. Its cellar avoids oak barrels, using concrete tanks and glass vessels for ageing.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent are the Beaujolais homes of the domaine's Gamay vineyards. Chénas also appears in the red range through Le Jugement Dernier. Chardonnay comes from the Mâconnais, giving the domaine a second regional address and a different grape variety.
The red wines therefore move through three named Beaujolais places, while the white work remains tied to the Mâconnais partnership. The labels carry different place names, but the domaine's cellar methods extend across the range.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The vineyards are worked biodynamically, although the wines are labeled organic rather than biodynamic certified. For the red wines, destemming is kept to a minimum. Destemming removes stems before fermentation; here, the grapes are fermented with most of that material still present. There is no pigeage, which means the fermenting cap is not punched down, and remontage, the movement of liquid over the cap, is kept very soft.
Ageing takes place in concrete tanks and glass vessels instead of oak barrels. Sulfur is added in the second year after fermentation, allowing the aromas to develop before they are stabilized.
Wines to know
The range in view
The red range includes Fleurie Chapelle des Bois and Fleurie Les Moriers, Moulin-à-Vent L'Éphémère and Moulin-à-Vent Styx, and Chénas Le Jugement Dernier. These are named Gamay wines from separate Beaujolais places. The white side of the domaine comes from Chardonnay in the Mâconnais.
The bottles cover different shapes within the red range. A Moulin-à-Vent wine is noted for fine texture and modest tannin, while Chénas Le Jugement Dernier is associated with massive body. The range therefore moves from lighter tactile detail to fuller, deeper wines without leaving Gamay.