“Marcel Lapierre is something of a hero to the natural wine movement and his Morgon has been called the ‘original natural wine’.“ - Decanter

Marcel Lapierre can reasonably be considered to be the godfather of ‘serious’ Beaujolais, as he spearheaded the famous Gang of Four, alongside Guy Breton, Jean-Paul Thévenet and Jean Foillard, who forever changed the landscape of the region, both physically and metaphorically, with their focus on preserving and nurturing old vines, eschewing herbicides and pesticides, harvesting late, adding minimal sulphur and avoiding chaptalisation. Sadly, Marcel passed away in 2010, but his son, Mathieu, and daughter, Camille have continued his legacy.

Their Morgon 2022 is made from 70 year-old vines and combines lightness of touch with richness of flavour. The lightness of touch can be attributed to their father’s belief in ‘minimalist intervention’ winemaking, while the richness of flavour comes from the aforementioned deep-rooted, old vines. Textbook Beaujolais flavours of red-fleshed plums, sour cherries and a touch of gravel bring energy and purity for current drinking pleasure, but it should really be tucked away for a couple of years, because its floral, mineral and subtle spice notes are still surrounded by petals waiting to unfold. 12.5% alc. Drink 2024-2035.

Biodynamically farmed
Vegan-friendly

Press reviews:

Jamie Goode (previous vintage): “Lovely presence here. Fine and elegant with sweet cherries, plums and some strawberry richness. Nice fruit weight, and quite elegant, but it has some grippy structure, too. Has life, energy and nice purity.” 95 points

Vinous (previous vintage): “The 2021 Morgon (sulfité) has a slightly brighter nose more red fruit (Morello cherries and raspberry) commingling with blood orange. I find less of the oyster shell element juxtaposed against the non-sulfité iteration. The tannins are very fine here, with perfect acidity. It is fresh and brittle in texture, with so much vivacity towards the crunchy finish. Wonderful. Initially I preferred the non-sulfité version, but upon further consideration, this seems to convey more amplitude. Drink 2024-2040.“ 94 points

Jancis Robinson MW (previous vintage): “This wine is so pure and gorgeous! It's a great advertisement for minimal intervention and purity. Direct fruit and not a trace of oak. Long and reverberant. Already drinkable but there is no hurry whatsoever.” 18 points