Jean-Marc Burgaud Beaujolais

 Gamay used to be the most planted red variety in Burgundy. Now it is Pinot Noir, of course. And the success of Beaujolais Nouveau made Beaujolais a popular drink, but rendered Gamay as a not serious, early to drink variety. For quite a number of years, some Gamay producers have staged a comeback. Probably the most serious of these wines come from the subregion of Morgon, and the hill of Côte du Py is the core. So how does the 2021 Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Côte du Py stack up? 

This is quite a concentrated wine, with good fruit weight. Red and black cherry flavours deliver quite a fruity profile on the front palate.Then herbal notes come on strong and add a savoury profile. The structure is backed up by firm tannins. This is clearly a wine which can age for 5-8 years.

Score: 93/++

Thévenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes

I remain interested in exploring the cru Beaujolais, in particular from Morgon. This is where wine is made for ageing and where one may be able to find a wine similar in quality to a good Burgundy at 25% of the price. I thought maybe the 2018 Thévenet Morgon Vielles Vignes could be such a wine.

Jean-Paul Thévenet was named one of the 'Gang of Four' in the 1980s. The aim was to produce meaningful and complex wines by farming old vines and apply organic and biodynamic principles. There is no fining and filtration, and possibly no sulphur treatment. His wines come close to what some people call 'natural' wine.

And this shows immediately after opening the bottle and pouring a glass. The colour of the wine is ruby, quite intense, and a little cloudy. Red cherry is the dominant flavour, added to by some spice, earth and saltiness. The winemaking approach delivers a big mouthfeel and quite a ripe wine for Gamay. The tannins are quite smooth, and the finish medium to long.

I find it hard to rate this wine. The last paragraph suggests this is a very good wine, but I did not enjoy it that much. The cloudiness made the wine a bit clunky, lacking finesse. I assume the purpose here was to make a serious Gamay with good fruit weight, but this came at a cost, in my view.

Score: 89/-       

 

Morgon Beaujolais

 There is no denying that there is a trend towards lighter style red wines. Many Shiraz and Cabernet producers try to accommodate this by picking earlier, reducing extraction and using less new oak. Nevertheless, 'lighter' styles are gaining share. The first wave was Pinot Noir. The second wave is Rosé or Rosado or Rosato. The third wave is more subtle, but gaining traction. It is Beaujolais. 

The current Beaujolais story is a little complicated. Beaujolais is made from Gamay, a variety which is associated with fruity and easy drinking styles. Beaujolais Nouveau, released in the same year as harvested, was a big marketing success a few decades ago, but is not regarded as a serious wine by passionate wine drinkers.

However, the Beaujolais region has also created 10 cru areas, similar to the system in Burgundy. In contrast, they relate to entire village areas here rather than single vineyards as in Burgundy. If you want to get away from Beaujolais Nouveau as far as possible, you look for the 'M' villages, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent. Wines from here tend to be darker and more tannic than the other areas. Today, I am reviewing two wines from Morgon.

On the left, is the 2018 Daniel Bouland Corcelette Vielles Vignes. This wine comes from 90 year old vines grown on sandy soils. As such, this is a pretty and charming wine. The red berry flavour is fruity, yet dry, and fills the mouth in a pleasant and satisfying way. The tannins are soft and silky. The acidity provides some grit. This wine is elegant, of medium depth and length.

Score: 92/++ 

Domaines Louis Claude Desvignes produces a wine from Corcelette as well, but this wine is the 2018 Louis Claude Desvignes Montpelain. The vines are 80 years old, and the soil is small rocks in clay. The different soil type has a major influence on the wine. This wine is darker fruited and richer in the mouth with more fruit weight. Some savoury and earthy elements add to complexity. The tannins are more muscular than in the Daniel Bouland. This is a more generous and bigger wine than many Pinot Noirs. It does not quite have the nuances or drive of a good Burgundy, but is elegant and pleasant to drink.

Score: 92/++    

    

Marcel Lapierre Morgon

I am currently in Burgundy, researching and wine tasting for an upcoming artice in Gourmet Traveller Wine. Therefore, I cannot share my tasting results on this blog right now. However last night, I tasted a wine outside of this effort. It was the 2015 Marcel Lapierre Morgon.

Beaujolais has come a long way since it created the marketing success of Beaujolais Nouveau. This is now fading somewhat, but serious wines from the Gamay grape are emerging right now. There are ten crus in Beaujolais: Brouilly, Regnie, Chirubles, Cote de Brouilly, Fleurie, Saint-Amour, Chenas, Julienas, Morgon and Moulin a Vent. The last two have the best fruit weight and tannin structure.

This wine from Marcel Lapierre is from Morgon. It has a medium deep crimson colour and a beautiful sour kirsch/redcurrant bouquet. This is a medium bodied wine, coming in at a solid 14% alcohol. It tastes of redcurrant and cranberry, and fills the mouth nicely, with an emphasis on the mid-palate. This is a serious wine, quite savoury, with a strong acidic structure. Tannins are not so noticeable. This Gamay wine is about filling the mouth nicely and in a round way, while Pinot Noir is all about line and length.

Score: 91/++