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2022 Raisins Gaulois

M. & C. Lapierre
Discount Eligible $23.00
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“I recall many years ago when Marcel Lapierre pulled me aside and asked if I thought Kermit and our clients would like his new ‘petit vin.’ When I asked him what it was, he told me, ‘It’s a wine... that you drink like a beer... when you don’t really want to drink a beer.’ What’s not to like about that? To this day, I continue to follow his advice, buy it by the case, and drink it cold, out of a simple glass cup. Like a beer, sure, but much better.” —Chris Santini


The late Marcel Lapierre famously championed organic farming, hand-harvesting ripe fruit, and a winemaking philosophy of “nothing added, nothing taken away” that has spread like wildfire to all corners of the wine world. Irresistibly delicious yet deeply complex and age-worthy, his Morgons silenced many a critic and quenched many a parched palate. Today, his children Mathieu and Camille proudly carry on the Lapierre tradition.
     A perfect initiation to the domaine’s wines, this bottling is designed specifically for the purpose of drinking—not tasting, not spitting, but jolly, carefree quaffing. Although it consists of Gamay grown within the Morgon cru, the high yields from these young vines exceed the limit required to qualify for the Morgon appellation. As a result, this juicy red—loaded with bright, playful fruit—is low in alcohol and delightfully refreshing. It begs for a slight chill and to be served alongside charcuterie, cheeses, picnic fare, burritos, or just about anything.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2022
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Gamay
Appellation: Vin de France
Country: France
Region: Beaujolais
Producer: M. & C. Lapierre
Winemaker: Mathieu and Camille Lapierre
Vineyard: < 20 yrs, 1.5 ha
Soil: Granitic Gravel
Farming: Organic (practicing)
Alcohol: 12.5%

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About The Region

Beaujolais

map of 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.

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Vintage Chart

Trust the great winemakers, trust the great vineyards. Your wine merchant might even be trustworthy. In the long run, that vintage strip may be the least important guide to quality on your bottle of wine.—Kermit Lynch