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Gamay for an Afternoon in the Garden

Gamay for an Afternoon in the Garden

by Meghan Foley by Meghan Foley

2024 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”

2024 Vin de France Rouge “Raisins Gaulois”

M. & C. Lapierre   

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M. & C. Lapierre    France   |  Beaujolais   |  Vin de France

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Every decision Camille and Mathieu Lapierre take in the vineyard and the cellar is aimed at capturing Gamay at its purest, liveliest, and most irresistibly drinkable. They start with fruit from vigorous young vines that produce beyond the strict limits of the Morgon appellation, and finish by aging the wine for just two months in cuve. This amount of time may seem like barely enough for grapes to transform into wine, but that’s the point of Raisins Gaulois: to deliver the freshest Gamay possible. It’s almost as if the fanciful bon vivant who graces this label crushed that grape cluster directly into your mouth rather than his own.         
     Pale crimson in color and coursing with energy, the 2024 has an enticing perfume and each sip delivers mouthfuls of cranberry, raspberry, and a minerality that lingers on the palate. A wine as inviting as this one opens itself to endless pairing possibilities, from midweek takeout burritos to a cheese platter at apéro hour to your next picnic. At my house, it provided the perfect conclusion to a long, sun-filled afternoon of gardening. No corkscrew necessary, just a light chill.

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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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