“Cœur de Vigneronne” Cuvée from Domaine ANITA
by Denis Bourgogne
“A totally classic Beaujolais, yet this incredible wine also redefines what Beaujolais can be. The depth of red fruit aromas is exceptional. Immensely concentrated yet precise and finely chiselled, with an almost overwhelming minerality leading to an almost infinite finish.”
Stuart Pigott, wine critic
What a wonderful introduction to the Cœur de Vigneronne cuvée — rated 100/100 by James Suckling in 2021 from Domaine ANITA, founded in 2015 by Anita Neveu.
Anita arrived in Beaujolais in 1996, having previously been a competitive road cyclist. Those years on the bike forged her strength of character, teaching her perseverance, courage, hard work, and discipline qualities that led her all the way to the World Championships in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. A story of determination and the pursuit of dreams.
That same spirit now drives her work as a winemaker. Surrounded by a close-knit team cultivating six exceptional terroirs in the appellations Moulin-à-Vent, Morgon, Chénas, Fleurie, Beaujolais, and Beaujolais-Villages, Anita produces wines of outstanding quality, guided by the principles of sustainable viticulture. Here, Gamay finds its true home, where high-density planting a deliberate choice yields small berries with thick skins and concentrated pulp.
Passionate about winemaking, Anita has, from the start, focused on single-parcel cuvées, each expressing the distinctive character of its terroir. The celebrated Moulin-à-Vent “Reine de Nuit” paved the way for this approach. In 2015, she experimented with destemmed fermentation, producing such an exceptional result that it gave birth to the “Cœur de Vigneronne” cuvée.
This cuvée comes from the Aux Caves parcel in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation decomposed pink granite on a southeast-facing slope, where 10,000 vines per hectare have thrived for around sixty years. While analytical data are closely monitored, it is phenolic ripeness that determines the start of harvest. In 2022, 80% of the grapes were destemmed, and maceration lasted about fifteen days with seven punch-downs before being transferred into Ermitage barrels, made from oak from the Bertanges forest, with a medium toast.
The “Cœur de Vigneronne” 2022 shows a deep color and aromas of ripe fruit, raspberry, dark berries, kirsch, spices, and white pepper. On the palate, the tannins are silky, the freshness remarkable, and the density impressive. The finish bears the signature of its soil a lingering, elegant salinity.
For Anita and Guy Marion, former chief winemaker at Georges Duboeuf with no fewer than 52 harvests in the region, the identity of ripe Gamay is beautifully “dressed” by our Berthomieu barrels, which “perfectly match the character of this cuvée.”
To enhance the Cœur de Vigneronne, Anita recommends Bresse chicken with cream and morels a perfect harmony for the heart of the autumn season.
Domaine ANITA
62 Impasse des Caves
69840 Chénas
+33 (0)6 83 38 60 22
