Vini Viti Vinci Captain Bojol Gamay 2016

Captain Bojol is a 100% Gamay from Beaujolais, made by Nicolas Vauthier under his label Vini Viti Vinci, based in Avallon in the Yonne department of northern Burgundy. Vauthier sources grapes from organically and biodynamically farmed growers across the region rather than farming his own vineyards, purchasing fruit on the vine and directing harvest with his own crew to control quality. The 2016 vintage is one of three vintages of Captain Bojol documented at retail.

Vauthier vinifies his red wines with whole clusters and minimal intervention, without added sulfur and without fining or filtration. The house approach is native-yeast fermentation with as little cellar input as possible, a philosophy shaped by his time apprenticing under Philippe Pacalet in Burgundy after seeing the scale of industrial winemaking in Washington State. The resulting wine is light in body and tannin, with lifted aromatics typical of whole-cluster Gamay: sour cherry, strawberry, and a slight funky, earthy edge that signals the natural approach.

Beaujolais Gamay from this style of producer sits closer to glou-glou than to structured Cru territory. It is not built for long aging but delivers immediate pleasure: bright acidity, red fruit, and low tannins that make it easy to drink slightly cool. The playful Captain Bojol label is consistent with Vini Viti Vinci's broader aesthetic — the name itself riffs on Julius Caesar's "veni, vidi, vici."