Yohan Lardy
About
Owner & winemaker: Yohan Lardy
Vineyards: 6ha, half owned and half rented
Vineyard management: Practicing organic
Soils: Sand, granite, and quartz
Grapes grown: Gamay, Chardonnay
Annual production: 45,000 bottles
Quick facts:
- Yohan Lardy makes “micro-cuvées” from tiny plots in Fleurie, Chénas, and Moulin-à-Vent.
- He is the fifth generation of his family to make wine in Beaujolais, but 2012 was his first year bottling under his own label.
- His flagship site “Les Michelons” was planted in 1911 and 1950, and the soil is full of chunks of quartz, pink granite, and manganese.
Yohan Lardy is a 5th generation winemaker in Beaujolais whose wines reflect his energy and passion for viticulture and winemaking, as well as for his home and its heritage. Yohan began his domaine with holdings in two different vineyards: “Les Michelons,” a 2-hectare walled vineyard in Moulin-a-Vent, planted in 1911 and 1950, and “Vignes de 1903,” a single vineyard planted in 1903. Yohan cherishes this very old vineyard, farming it manually to preserve its integrity. He says, “I decided to isolate this vineyard in order to conserve it as long as possible, and to work in this plot like the older generations with tradition and respect to nature.” He now also farms tiny parcels in Fleurie (“Le Vivier,” 0.5ha) and Chénas (“Les Deschamps,” 0.22ha).
All grapes are hand-picked and vinified as whole bunches with native yeasts and without sulfur. Fermentation takes place in concrete or polyethylene tanks. The wines are aged for around 10 months in Burgundy barrels for the best balance of fruit and tannin. During warmer vintages, he’ll use a cold soak to preserve the crunchy red fruit character, avoiding over-ripe or over-extracted fruit. Yohan is a young winemaker with an old soul, producing generous, deep, and meditative wines that reflect his own charm and experience.
