Notify me
2018 Raisins Gaulois
M. & C. LapierreWhat’s the best turn of phrase to describe this year’s Raisins Gaulois, a vintage that combines the structure and depth of a cru Beaujolais with the unencumbered joie de vivre we’ve come to love and expect? Some options: seriously lighthearted; frivolously brooding; mercurially pragmatic. Let’s all try a bottle and then take a vote.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Gamay |
Appellation: | Vin de France |
Country: | France |
Region: | Beaujolais |
Producer: | M. & C. Lapierre |
Winemaker: | Mathieu Lapierre |
Vineyard: | < 20 yrs, 1.5 ha |
Soil: | Granitic Gravel |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2021 Côte de Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
For lovers of old-fashioned Beaujolais in all its elegant, high-toned, terroir-driven glory.
2020 Morgon “Eponym”
France | Beaujolais
This cuvée shares the satin texture of all Foillard Morgons, and should age similarly well for those willing and able to wait.
2022 Beaujolais
France | Beaujolais
This Beaujolais offers the drinkability of the most effusive Morgons with the frankness of a chiseled Moulin-à-Vent.
2021 Régnié “Grain & Granit”
France | Beaujolais
Here is a rich, bold Régnié, saturated with luscious fruit and earthy spice.
2020 Brouilly
France | Beaujolais
A generous dash of plump, sun-ripened fruit enveloping a granite core.
2022 Beaujolais Rosé
France | Beaujolais
The result is a pretty, round, and versatile rosé full of notes of red fruit, melon, and rhubarb. It finishes with a subtle herbal note and foodfriendly acidity.
2022 Morgon
France | Beaujolais
Silky and perfumed, with no rough edges, this is dangerously swallowable.
2021 Morgon “Eponym”
France | Beaujolais
This cuvée shares the satin texture of all Foillard Morgons, and should age similarly well for those willing and able to wait.
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
France | Beaujolais
This Beaujolais offers the drinkability of the most effusive Morgons with the frankness of a chiseled Moulin-à-Vent.
2021 Fleurie
France | Beaujolais
An opulent, mouth-filling expression of granitic terroir, this bottling has the delicate floral nuances and fine-grained tannin that differentiates Fleurie from the other crus.
About The Producer
M. & C. Lapierre
Little would we know that when Marcel Lapierre took over the family domaine from his father in 1973, he was on the road to becoming a legend. Following the example of traditionalist Jules Chauvet, Marcel and three other local vignerons Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton, soon hoisted the flag of Chauvet’s back-to-nature movement. Kermit dubbed this clan the Gang of Four, and the name has stuck ever since. The Gang called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification. Sadly, the 2010 vintage was Marcel’s last. His children, Mathieu and Camille continue the great work that their father pioneered, introducing biodynamic vineyard practices and ensuring that Marcel's legacy lives on.
About The Region
Beaujolais
After years of the region’s reputation being co-opted by mass-produced Beaujolais Nouveau and the prevalence of industrial farming, the fortunes of vignerons from the Beaujolais have been on the rise in the past couple of decades. Much of this change is due to Jules Chauvet, a prominent Beaujolais producer who Kermit worked with in the 1980s and arguably the father of the natural wine movement, who advocated not using herbicides or pesticides in vineyards, not chaptalizing, fermenting with ambient yeasts, and vinifying without SO2. Chief among Chauvet’s followers was Marcel Lapierre and his three friends, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Jean-Paul Thévenet—a group of Morgon producers who Kermit dubbed “the Gang of Four.” The espousal of Chauvet’s methods led to a dramatic change in quality of wines from Beaujolais and with that an increased interest and appreciation for the AOC crus, Villages, and regular Beaujolais bottlings.
The crus of Beaujolais are interpreted through the Gamay grape and each illuminate the variety of great terroirs available in the region. Distinguishing itself from the clay and limestone of Burgundy, Beaujolais soils are predominantly decomposed granite, with pockets of blue volcanic rock. The primary vinification method is carbonic maceration, where grapes are not crushed, but instead whole clusters are placed in a tank, thus allowing fermentation to take place inside each grape berry.
Much like the easy-going and friendly nature of many Beaujolais vignerons, the wines too have a lively and easy-drinking spirit. They are versatile at table but make particularly good matches with the local pork sausages and charcuterie. Though often considered a wine that must be drunk young, many of the top crus offer great aging potential.
More from Beaujolais or France
2022 IGP Comte Rhodanien Pinot Noir
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2021 Brouilly
Foillard, Alex France | Beaujolais
2021 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Charmes - Infusion”
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2021 Fleurie “Les Moriers”
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2022 IGP Comte Rhodanien Pinot Noir
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon
M. & C. Lapierre France | Beaujolais
2021 Brouilly
Foillard, Alex France | Beaujolais
2021 Chiroubles “Cuvée Léa”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
2021 Brouilly “Reverdon”
Château Thivin France | Beaujolais
2021 Morgon “Charmes - Infusion”
Quentin Harel France | Beaujolais
2021 Beaujolais Blanc “Terrain Rouge”
Jean-Paul et Charly Thévenet France | Beaujolais
2022 Beaujolais MAGNUM
Domaine Dupeuble France | Beaujolais
2021 Fleurie “Les Moriers”
Domaine Chignard France | Beaujolais
2020 Brouilly
Alex Foillard France | Beaujolais
2021 Fleurie
Jean Foillard France | Beaujolais
2022 Morgon “Vieilles Vignes”
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch