2019 Domaine M. & C. Lapierre, Morgon, Marcel Lapierre Cuvée MMXIX, Cru Beaujolais, France.
As I always say, this is one of the world’s great wines, the Lapierre Cuvée Marcel comes from 100 year old Gamay vines set on Morgon’s sandy decomposed granite soils, and always shows power, concentration and exotically ripe fruit at its core, with this 2019 showing a nice bit of development and finesse at this stage, making it incredibly delicious Cru Beaujolais showing off the best that this special bottling can deliver. This deep ruby/garnet hued and violet laced aromatic Cuvée Marcel has settled into a gorgeous wine with layered black cherry, plum, juicy currant and evolved vine picked berry reduction, along with integrated whole cluster spicy notes, mineral, subtle herbal crunch, walnut husk, soft cedary wood, anise, smooth acidity and a supple tannin structured fleshy mouth feel. Even though 2019 wasn’t a top notch vintage, this wine has really turned into a beauty for Lapierre’s top wine and it truly impresses at this point, so those lucky enough to have it should consider a cork popping soon. As noted before, this Lapierre Marcel Cuvée is only produced in exceptional vintages from the domaine’s oldest vines, as importer Kermit Lynch explains, are in the Côte du Py area and the special lieu-dit of “Le Douby” located near the border of the Fleurie appellation. Brother and sister Mathieu, who I met for the first time a couple of years ago at Kermit Lynch’s 50th Anniversary tasting, and Camille Lapierre run this historic estate, that was first established back in 1909, that is known for its natural style all organic 100% Gamay old vine wines, with grapes picked late, all of which are made using traditional “semi-carbonic” whole cluster method, explained below in more detail. This 2019 is pure Gamay joy with some secondary elements beginning to reveal themselves, again all in silken fashion, with hints of leathery/earthy/savory elements, like pipe tobacco, and with compelling delicacy, for more forward fruit density I suggest the 2020 and 2022s.
The late and legendary Marcel Lapierre, who was a champion of this style natural wine, a rebel that followed the ideals of Jules Chauvet the godfather of non industrial Beaujolais, that proved that Gamay can be monumental, age worthy and thrilling wines and the domaine continues to be a leader of this category. As mentioned, winemaker and viticultural prophet Jules Chauvet influenced and inspired a generation of Beaujolais vignerons to return to more traditional holistic practices and love of their land. Jean-Paul Thevenet, and three other local vignerons, Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton, and Jean Foillard, as Kermit Lynch famously chronicled, soon took up the torch of this “natural wine” movement, with Kermit dubbing them the Gang of Four, as he brought their wines to the States and the rest is history! The wines show an intense attention to detail and quality, as I’ve noted before, always are striving for elegance and terroir clarity, which these latest Lapierre Beaujolais, like this one deliver in spades. In the cellar, Mathieu, who took over from his father, employs 100% whole cluster and native yeast fermentation, or methode à l’ancienne, all of which is done at low temperatures with primary ferments lasting for between ten to twenty days, before racking the wine to well seasoned oak foudres and fûts (large casks) for aging, which usually is close to 9 months before bottling. For this wine, Lapierre did the noted semi-carbonic maceration, with the must protected from oxygen by CO2, without SO2, which lasted for between 15-36 days in closed vat, typically conical wood, and then aged in used Burgundy (228L) barrels for the 9 months. Like all the wines here at Lapierre, this one was bottled unfined and unfiltered to promote transparency and capturing all the terroir nuances in the finished wine. These wines are always wonderfully expressive and this one in particular is drinking very elegant at this point, going fabulously with smoky grilled chicken and steak, and is as good as Gamay gets, I highly recommend it and all the Lapierre offerings.
($55-65 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive