2020 Fleurie

Métras's 2020 Fleurie is performing very well out of the gates, exhibiting some similarities with his 2019 but built along richer, more brooding lines. Offering up aromas of cherries, raspberries, sweet spices and blood orange framed by a touch of youthful reduction, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, its powdery tannins cloaked in a fleshy, concentrated core of fruit and animated by a bright spine of acidity. As ever, one's mileage may vary substantially when aging this bottling, but when it's on form, it reminds one why Métras is arguably the most exciting of the Beaujolais' "natural" winemakers.