The 2019 vintage of this wine was Thibault’s very first wine, made from his first purchased parcel. It is called En Roue Libre (French term for freewheeling, or neutral gear) – a name that honors both hands-off natural winemaking methods and Thibault’s love for cycling. (He even used to race in a club before dedicating himself to full-time winemaking, and the bike still remains a big weekend pleasure.) Light-headed, fruity and crunchy! Serve well chilled with some good charcuterie or goat cheese to nibble on.

Thibault Ducroux is one of those winemakers who has been enticed by the vine from practically a toddler’s age: the son of a Beaujolais grower, he recalls how quickly he became passionate while learning the basics of the trade in his father’s cellar. His desire to understand more about vine-growing led him to study a classical viticulture-enology course in the region, but the real game-changer came when he discovered the works of Jules Chauvet, the ingenious 20th-century research chemist, winemaker and négociant venerated as the father of the French natural wine movement.

“His works challenged me and finally convinced me that there are different ways of making wine,” the young, athletic and ever-smiling Thibault explains what led him to get in touch with more of his Beaujolais natural winemaking fellows. The path was set: once the diploma was in his pocket, Ducroux started to work for another dedicated, up-and-coming Beaujolais grower Julien Sunier, where he learned the ropes of organic viticulture and natural vinifications.

At the same time, Thibault also purchased 1.25 hectares of vines in the Beaujolais AOC that gave birth to his very first wine in 2019. This light-headed, fruity and crunchy Gamay is called En Roue Libre (“Freewheeling”) – a smart choice of name that honors both hands-off natural winemaking methods and Thibault’s love for cycling.

In 2020, Thibault secured a long-term rental of 5 more hectares of old Gamay vines in the Morgon and Fleurie crus. All the vineyards are cultivated according to organic principles and are awaiting certification. Together with the high density of plantation (10,000 plants per hectare) and the impressive age of the vines (50 years on average), this allows Thibault to make wines that offer beautiful structure and terroir focus. In the cellar, the traditional Beaujolais practice of whole-bunch carbonic maceration is de rigueur, using indigenous yeast only. No further manipulations or additives, save for a tiny bit of sulfur at bottling, are used, just as Thibaut learned from all his colleagues.