Gregoire Hoppenot came to making wine late, after a decade of selling wine. In 2016 he took a job for M. Chapoutier, managing Maison Trénel, a useful step while shopping for climats he would want for his own Domaine. Two years later, he made his first vintage from some of the premier vineyards in Fleurie. His wines were an immediate hit, and he seemed to arrive on the stage fully formed with a low intervention philosophy, and a keen understanding of how to adjust his methods in the winery to suit different sites. His Cuvee Luc is a newer selection of grapes from all his vineyards, intended as a “vintage snapshot” of Beaujolais, drawn only from cru-rated vineyards. The aroma begins with a cascade of fresh red cherries and rose petals, black pepper and a note of crunchy granite soil. The palate is silky and restrained, full of ripe red berries and grace notes of orange and violet. Set this beside all sorts of chicken with the skin on, pates and cheese plates.