Fleurie AOC

Vines at Fleurie are attested from 987, in an act drawn up for the abbey of Arpayé, a direct dependency of Cluny, according to INAO's cahier des charges (2022 text). The same text says that from the end of the 15th century the Lyon bourgeoisie, enriched by silk and banking, developed viticulture, and that in the 18th century Burgundian wine merchants carried Fleurie's wines to Paris before they were sold to the north of France and England. It adds that 19th-century writers including Jullien, Guyot and Danguy ranked Fleurie among the best wines of France. Inter Beaujolais's website says the name has nothing to do with nature and would appear to come from a Roman legionary called Florus, while noting there is no actual proof of the legend. Fleurie's cooperative cellar opened in 1927, and the AOC was recognised in 1936. INAO's cahier (2022 text) records that in 2010 the wine was made by 180 producers, a cooperative cellar and about ten négociants, and separately puts the average holding at about 9 hectares, mostly family domaines.

• Vines attested in 987 in an act for the abbey of Arpayé, a dependency of Cluny (INAO cahier, 2022 text)
• Name traced by legend to a Roman legionary called Florus; Inter Beaujolais notes there is no actual proof
• Cooperative cellar of Fleurie opened in 1927; AOC recognised by decree of 11 September 1936 (INAO cahier, 2022 text)
• Around thirty domaines opened a shared tasting cellar, La Maison de Fleurie, in 2007 (INAO cahier, 2022 text)

INAO's cahier des charges (2022 text) places Fleurie on the eastern edge of the Monts du Beaujolais, on the single commune of Fleurie north of Lyon, and says the delimited parcels rest on a pink, porphyritic granite poor in mica, known as granite de Fleurie. Above the village, between 300 and 450 metres, steep slopes where the bedrock often outcrops carry very sandy, poor soils; below it, the slope eases toward the Saône down to 230 metres and the soils thicken, gaining clays, fine sands and silts. Inter Beaujolais's website (as of 2026) gives the soils as pink granite (90%) and piedmont deposits (8%), and says the appellation slopes down from a range of peaks including the Fût d'Avenas, Col de Durbize, Col des Labourons and Pic Raymont, with slopes of a 50% gradient. The hill called La Madone towers over the appellation. Inter Beaujolais places La Madone at 425 metres, at the highest point of these valleys, with the vines growing from the south-eastern side of the hill up to the Madone chapel. In its north-to-south list of the ten crus, Fleurie follows Moulin-à-Vent and precedes Chiroubles, and its Fleurie page describes the sun setting over the Chiroubles vines in the west. INAO describes a degraded oceanic climate with a mean annual temperature close to 11°C and about 750 millimetres of rain a year on average, with continental and southern influences; the Monts du Beaujolais shelter the zone from westerly winds, and the slopes mainly face south-east. Decanter's Andy Howard MW (2021) writes that where pink granite dominates the wines are more floral, while those on richer clay soils carry more depth and weight.

• Pink, porphyritic granite de Fleurie, poor in mica, underlies the delimited parcels (INAO cahier, 2022 text)
• La Madone stands at 425 metres at the highest point of these valleys; vines climb the hill's south-eastern side to the Madone chapel (Inter Beaujolais, as of 2026)
• Sandy, poor soils on the steep slopes above the village; deeper soils with clays, fine sands and silts below it (INAO cahier, 2022 text)
• Degraded oceanic climate, mean annual temperature close to 11°C, about 750 mm of rain, with continental and southern influences (INAO cahier, 2022 text)

Fleurie AOC is reserved for red still wines. INAO's cahier des charges (2022 text) names Gamay as the principal grape and allows aligoté, chardonnay and melon only as interplanted vines, at most 15% of each parcel, vinified together with the Gamay. The same text describes a fine violet-red colour that moves toward garnet over time, frequent floral and red fruit notes that turn spicy with age, a frank attack without aggressiveness and a low acidity, and says the wine is often presented as the most feminine of the Beaujolais crus for its lightness and finesse. It says Gamay on these poor, free-draining granite soils gives a light, fragrant wine with fine tannins. Inter Beaujolais's website (as of 2026) lists iris, violet, rose, red fruit and vine peaches on the nose, calls the palate elegant and refined, and says the attack is frank, the acidity low and the tannins gentle. It notes that a wine from La Roilette, on more granitic soil, is more powerful than one from Grille-Midi, whose appeal lies in its fruity character. Decanter's Andy Howard MW (2021) calls Fleurie the most well-known Beaujolais cru and says that, although it is not the most ageworthy cru, some serious wines are now being produced.

• Principal grape Gamay; INAO describes a light, fragrant wine with fine tannins
• Nose of iris, violet, rose, red fruit and vine peaches (Inter Beaujolais, as of 2026)
• Frank attack and low acidity (INAO cahier, 2022 text)
• Élevage until at least 15 January after the harvest; release to consumers from 1 February (INAO cahier, 2022 text)

Inter Beaujolais's website (as of 2026) lists the most-claimed lieux-dits as La Madone, Les Labourons, Grille-Midi, Les Moriers, Les Garants, La Presle, La Chapelle des Bois, Grand Pré, La Roilette and Champagne. INAO's cahier des charges (2022 text) says the people of Fleurie identify with La Madone, the statue of the Virgin that watches over the vineyard from the chapel of Fleurie, and that it has become the symbol of the commune and of the vineyard, which refers to it on most labels and promotional logos. In April 2023 Decanter reported that more than 85% of Fleurie's winegrowers had voted in favour of a premier cru plan at a meeting on 28 March, and that an application would go to INAO. Seven lieux-dits out of more than 40 candidates would be proposed: Les Moriers, Poncié, Les Garants, La Madone, La Roilette, Grille Midi and La Chapelle des Bois, covering around 27% of the appellation. Grégoire Hoppenot, secretary of the Fleurie appellation, told Decanter he hoped INAO approval could come within eight to 10 years.

• Most-claimed lieux-dits include La Madone, Les Labourons, Grille-Midi, Les Moriers and Les Garants (Inter Beaujolais, as of 2026)
• Seven lieux-dits, around 27% of the appellation, proposed for premier cru status (Decanter, 2023)
• The La Madone statue overlooks the vineyard from the chapel of Fleurie and appears on most labels and promotional logos (INAO cahier, 2022 text)
• Annual market-exhibition in Fleurie on the weekend after All Saints' Day (INAO cahier, 2022 text)

Primary sources (INAO and Inter Beaujolais): https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/PNO-CDCFleurie-CN221130.pdf, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/appellation/fleurie/, https://www.beaujolais.com/appellation/fleurie/, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/visit/the-beaujolais-wine-route/, https://www.beaujolais.com/en/legal-notice/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/beaujolais-fleurie-premier-cru-plan-backed-by-winemakers-502633/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/beaujolais-top-scoring-fleurie-2018-wines-455147/. Last verified 2026-09-24