Jean-Claude Lapalu

Jean-Claude grew up in a vine-growing family. But unlike his father who sold all his grapes, Jean-Claude quickly realised he needed to see things through to the bottle. So, in the mid-1990s he started buying up parcels and by 2005 had dropped all historic grape-selling contracts. His wines are robust and structured with the concentration that comes from his organically farmed 9 hectares of old vines. Not afraid to bend, or even break, the rules, his Vin de France wines are as interesting as his excellent Beaujolais crus. He is now recognised as one of the finest producers in the region.