It is no surprise that Château Thivin is the benchmark domaine of the Côte de Brouilly; everything about it is exceptional. Built in the fifteenth century on an ancient volcano which juts out steeply into the valley below, Thivin is the oldest estate on Mont Brouilly. Even more important, however, is its tremendous success since farmer Zaccharie Geoffray purchased the château with its two hectares of land at auction in 1877. His son Claude expanded the property over the next few decades, and his son, also named Claude, boosted the prestige of the zone in the face of the Great Depression when he played a pivotal role in the creation of the Côte de Brouilly appellation. With his wife Yvonne, he also helped to bring greater recognition to the entire region with the establishment of the Maison du Beaujolais in 1953. Over the years the family continued to promote the appellation, receiving many influential artists and journalists at the château. The French novelist, Colette, wrote admiringly of her visit to Thivin, for example. In 1976, Richard Olney took Kermit to visit on their first wine trip together. It was Olney's top recommendation in the whole of the Beaujolais region. The current generation of the Geoffray family continues their tradition. Today their grandnephew Claude, his wife Evelyne, and their son Claude-Edouard continue the tradition as staunch and proud defenders of the terroir of the Côte de Brouilly.
64c
France » Cote de Brouilly
Wine Advocate 93 The 2018 Côte de Brouilly is still a little closed after its recent bottling, but it's a promising wine in the making, unwinding
The emblem of the Geoffray family: with complex flavors of iris and peony, bluish-red in color, with a long mouth of spicy tannins. As the
61eFrance » Beaujolais
Delicate fresh fruit aromas and light, tart flavours make this a harmonious and delicate wine for summer drinking. It's great right through an al fresco
89bFrance » Cote de Brouilly
Wine Advocate 93 The 2018 Côte de Brouilly is still a little closed after its recent bottling, but it's a promising wine in the making, unwinding
64eFrance » Cote de Brouilly
James Suckling 94 Stunning, concentrated black cherries and plenty of the characteristic acidity of the vintage, both seamlessly interwoven with the gentle tannins and the minerality
A ripe, expressive Brouilly with wonderful sweet fruit expression - ripe cherry, figs, savory herbs and dried flowers. Intense, firm tannin structure and very long
A ripe, expressive Brouilly with wonderful sweet fruit expression - ripe cherry, figs, savory herbs and dried flowers. Intense, firm tannin structure and very long
Wine Advocate 94 The 2017 Côte de Brouilly is superb, unfurling in the glass with aromas of ripe cassis, candied violets and plums. On the palate,
Wine Advocate 88 "Thivin's 2008 Brouilly had already been assembled when I tasted it, and displayed mouth-watering strawberry fruit tinged with salt and a delicacy,
Wine Advocate 89 "Lift, clarity, florality; pure, at times almost ethereal, but bitter-edged fruit; and strong, stony mineral notes characterized the best lots of 2008 raw
Wine Advocate 93 "I might have under-estimated the 2014 Côte de Brouilly when I tasted a barrel sample last year. Here, it is a little more
Wine Advocate 94 "Bottled 3 weeks prior to my visit, the 2015 Côte de Brouilly was very closed on the nose though you can tell that
Wine Advocate 93 "I might have under-estimated the 2014 Côte de Brouilly when I tasted a barrel sample last year. Here, it is a little more
James Suckling 94 Stunning, concentrated black cherries and plenty of the characteristic acidity of the vintage, both seamlessly interwoven with the gentle tannins and the minerality
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