Palpite is a personal wine from Fitapreta, the Alentejo project led by António Maçanita. Based just outside Évora, Fitapreta works with old vineyards, local grape varieties and a deep engagement with the region’s viticultural heritage. Palpite is driven by intuition – the name translates as “hunch”.
The grapes come from Alentejo, with a focus on cooler, higher-lying vineyards that bring definition and balance. Indigenous Portuguese varieties are fermented with care, extraction is measured, and élevage is restrained.
The cork contains the phrase TCA free. I don’t know if this is meant to be a prophecy or if it’s really treated in a special way to protect against cork taint.
Palpite 2022 (Fitapreta)
Bright, translucent ruby in appearance. The nose shows red cherry, wild strawberry and dried Mediterranean herbs, with a subtle savoury edge and gentle spice. On the palate, the wine is fresh and finely textured, with vibrant red fruit, refined tannins and an underlying earthy note. Harmonious and engaging, finishing clean and dry.
Yann Bertrand is based in Fleurie, in the heart of Beaujolais, where he farms old gamay vines on granitic soils. The family estate is located just outside the village itself, with vineyards spread across Fleurie and a small holding in neighbouring Morgon. Vine age ranges from around 30 to well over 100 years.
Although he grew up in a winemaking family, Bertrand did not initially plan to become a vigneron. After studying commerce and spending several years working in wine bars and shops in the Alps, he returned to Beaujolais and gradually took over the family domaine, founded by his grandfather in the 1950s and developed further by his parents from the 1970s onwards.
The vineyards were converted to organic farming in the early 1990s, and Yann has since pushed the estate further towards biodynamics and low-intervention winemaking. He works exclusively with native yeasts, whole clusters and minimal or no added sulphur. The aim is not to chase power or extraction, but to express Fleurie through finesse, energy and transparency.
Credit: Les Bertrand
Today I have tasted three of his cuvees.
Phénix 2023
This cuvée comes from high-altitude, granitic parcels in Fleurie, where shallow soils and old vines naturally favour finesse and mineral tension. It’s vinified with whole clusters and gentle extraction, and aged in large, neutral oak.
Cherry red with a blue rim. Fruity and floral on the nose, with raspberry and cherry and gentle volatile acidity. Juicy on the palate, with fine tannins, good acidity and a clear mineral line. Light-bodied but precise, with a fresh, persistent finish.
Note: Yann Bertrand works consistently with very low sulphur. In this wine and Alice 6/10, I feel that he is balancing close to mousiness, but he lands on the right side, with fruit, acidity and mineral structure clearly in control.
Coup de Foudre 2023
Coup de Foudre is drawn from selected Fleurie parcels that give slightly more structure and mid-palate presence. While the approach remains low-intervention and whole-cluster based, this cuvée is shaped to show more depth and grip than Phénix.
Light cherry red. Raspberry and cherry aromas with a herbal edge. Very smooth on the palate, with good natural acidity and an understated mineral backbone. Harmonious and easy to drink, yet firmly rooted in its terroir.
Alice 6/10 2022
This is a personal cuvée, named after Bertrand’s partner Alice and referencing the six out of ten recent vintages affected by hail. It combines semi-carbonic fermentation with a proportion of direct press, followed by élevage in old barrels only, resulting in a wine of greater complexity and a touch of seriousness.
Light cherry red. Raspberry and cherry on the nose, with herbal nuances, and a slight touch of volatile. Fine tannins and good acidity frame a distinct mineral core, leading to a finish of good length. Balanced and composed, with both immediate charm and the structure to evolve further in bottle.
This wine became my first sparkler, as the fireworks lit the sky and the year changed beneath them.
1701 represents a conscious revival of an estate with more than 300 years of documented history in Franciacorta (hence the name). The project was initiated by siblings Federico and Silvia Stefini, whose shared commitment to wine, nature and their home territory has shaped the estate from the outset.
Their ambition was clear: to work according to organic and biodynamic principles, placing nature at the centre of every decision. Today, the family owns ten hectares of vineyards, eight planted with chardonnay and two with pinot noir. In 2016 1701 became the first biodynamically certified winery in Franciacorta, and remains the only one to this day.
For Federico and Silvia, biodynamics is not merely a farming method but a holistic philosophy of life. The aim is always to create the conditions in which the grapes can realise their full potential while expressing their origin with clarity and precision. They describe their wines as natural, made without chemical inputs, additives or synthetic treatments in either vineyard or cellar.
Grapes are hand-harvested and rigorously selected, followed by fermentation in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts. The wines are made according to the traditional method, with a minimum of 30 months ageing on the lees. Remuage is carried out by hand, disgorgement dates are clearly stated on the bottle, and there is no dosage. Annual production is approximately 40,000 bottles.
Franciacorta Brut Nature n/v(Soc. Agr. 1701)
Pale straw with a subtle golden hue; fine, persistent mousse. Aroma of lemon zest, green apple and white flowers, underpinned by crushed stone and a touch of toasted almond. Bone-dry in the mouth, tightly structured, driven by bright acidity and chalky minerality. Subtle autolytic notes add depth, leading to a long, saline and precise finish.
