Clos de Mez is the work of Marie-Élodie Zighera, an oenology graduate who took over her family's vines in Fleurie in 2006 and began estate-bottling under a new name, a contraction of her own initials. She farms organically (certified since 2018) using indigenous yeasts, no temperature control, and no insulation, a traditional approach that lets each vintage express itself honestly. Only three wines are made at the estate, each from a single cru.
This 2021 bottle carries the Fleurie appellation, one of the ten Beaujolais Crus. La Dot comes from a single plot of 50-year-old vines in the southern sector of Fleurie near the Morgon border, farmed as gnarled old goblet-pruned vines on decomposed pink granite at very low yields, a nod to the dowry Marie-Élodie's grandmother once received for these same parcels. Made from 100% Gamay, it undergoes a cold soak followed by pigeage, with 40 to 50% aged in barrel for nine months before a long bottle-aging period prior to release.
The result is a dense, structured Fleurie with dark fruit and spice, built for the table rather than easy drinking, from a winemaker determined to prove Beaujolais can be serious wine.