Jean-Claude Lapalu works biodynamically with 60-80 year old Gamay vines in Saint-Etienne-la-Varenne near Brouilly. Vinifying without sulphur (some cuvées receive a small dose at bottling), he produces elegant, ethereal Beaujolais which has put him firmly on the map as a worthy successor to the famed natural producers this region is known for.

This is Jean-Claude's boundary pushing Alma Mater Amphora Beaujolais, made from Gamay hand-picked from 60-year-old vines grown on granitic and sandy soils, facing southwest. Whole bunches are carbonically macerated for 40 to 50 days in 420 litre terracotta amphora before pressing and then ageing for 7 to 10 months and bottled without clarifying or filtering. Full-bodied and silky with some minerality on the palate, it's deep and structured with aromas of black cherry, plum, violet and liquorice.