Château Gaillard Gutty: The Quiet Man of Beaujolais

Wine, if it’s worth drinking, should tell a story. In Beaujolais, land of Gamay and good cheer, that story takes a particularly elegant turn at Château Gaillard Gutty, in the hands of Sébastien Gutty.

Sébastien Gutty

A Cellar Built on Stone and Concrete (Yes, Concrete)

Forget turrets and moats. The soul of this estate lives in a cellar built in 1897, part blue stone, part reinforced concrete, one of the first of its kind in Europe. A touch of engineering bravado under all that rustic charm. It’s damp, it’s echoey, it smells of yeast and history. Five generations have worked here, proving that romance doesn’t always wear a ball gown, sometimes it wears concrete.

Sébastien Gutty, Discreet but Stubborn

Sébastien is the fifth generation to run the place. Locals call him “discret, mais avec du caractère” — discreet, but with character. Which is French for: don’t expect a sales pitch, but do expect wines with backbone.

He doesn’t fuss with fancy gadgets or flashy oak. His recipe kinda short:

• Grapes picked by hand.

• Native yeasts, those microscopic neighbors that live in the vineyard.

• Enormous old foudres that let the wine breathe without perfume or makeup.

“I make the wines I want to drink,” he says. A philosophy refreshingly free of marketing fluff, though perhaps not great for export brochures.

Cuvée Alice: Beaujolais in Silk

Cuveé Alice (Source from Vivino)

Alice may not come from a flashy cru, but she carries herself with quiet elegance. Old vines from the 1930s and 1970s rooted in sandy soils give her a perfume of violets, blueberries, and cherries so bright you might think someone just opened a fruit basket nearby.

On the palate, she’s all grace, supple, silky, with tannins that barely make a sound. Proof that Beaujolais doesn’t need a crown to charm, and that simplicity, when done with care, can feel downright regal.

Alice is the kind of bottle that doesn’t demand a seminar. It asks for a summer afternoon, a plate of charcuterie, and friends who know how to make you laugh. Before you know it, the bottle is empty, and you’ll be wondering if Sébastien is really as discreet as they say, or if he just lets the wine do all the talking.

Macy Nguyen

Curious Cork Popper!