Marcel Lapierre is a wine producer based in the village of Morgon in Beaujolais, making wines from Gamay grapes in a natural style, with no added sulfur.
Michel Lapierre arrived in Morgon in the early 1900s and began work as a cellar master for various domaines in the region. His son Camille began to sell wines in barrel around the region and, after initial success, began to acquire vineyard land in Morgon.
Camille's son, Marcel, took over in 1973 and began to explore the idea of making wines with the least amount of intervention with the help of Jules Chauvet, a chemist, researcher and viticulturalist. Chauvet, who Lapierre met in the early 1980s, is often regarded as one the fathers of the natural wine movement in France.
Lapierre wines are made with a combination of modern innovation and age-old techniques. There is no sulfur added to the wines at all, the yeasts used are all wild and the vineyards are managed biodynamically.
The grapes are harvested at the peak of ripeness, even if this means harvesting plot by plot or bunch by bunch, and the wines then typically spend between two and nine months in oak before release.
The domaine has vineyards in Morgon and atop of the Côte du Py with its famous volcanic soils and expressive terroir. Lapierre's Morgon Cru wine is made from vines that are, on average, 70 years old, and is aged in oak for nine months and bottled without fining or filtration.
Cuvée Marcel Lapierre is only made in the best years and generally comes from two parcels of old vines on the Côte du Py.
Cuvée Camille is a nod to both Marcel's daughter (and father) – it comes from a single hectare (2.5 acre), southwest facing section on the Côte du Py.
Appellation:
AOC Morgon, Beaujolais
Country of Origin:
France
Type:
Red/Rouge (Still)
Grape Variety:
Gamay
Tasting Notes:
The 2018 Camille offers up beautiful aromatics and textural appeal. The wine underscores what so often makes Lapierre compelling in warmer vintages. You get more punch and an extra dimension of complexity that works nicely with Lapierre's purity and lively drinkability.
