Celine and Nicholas Hirsch came to Beaujolais to make wine on what they call a human scale. They own a  small domaine centered in the village of Chenas, vineyards planted mostly with old vines on the granite gravel soils of the region. They make wine gently, with short macerations on the skins and gentle press cycles, to yield an even-tempered wine that showcases site and soil. They do not use the whole cluster fermentation and carbonic maceration process that brands so much of Beaujolais; as Celine puts it, “carbonic maceration makes greedy and fruity wines.” For all their talk of subtlety, all their dedication to balance and grace over intensity, they were still able to pack this Chenas with a thundercloud of red fruit, roiling with intense aromas of strawberry, cherry and boysenberry, along with a dash of petrichor, of pepper and violet. Without the sheer volume of warmer climate wines, this Gamay wins us over with persistence. Silky textured, seamless and fresh, with juicy red berries right off the stem, a touch of strawberry sorbet, and the constant suggestion of granitic soil, toes poking out from behind every curtain. This is a wine that shows the power of restraint.