Morgon

A new name for what was previously known as Vignes de Thulon, Jean-Marc felt he wanted to speak more about the excellent village of Lantignié, which is being touted as the 11th Cru of Beaujolais. As ever, this is made in the traditional Beaujolais fashion, with whole bunches macerated for a week in open concrete tanks to preserve the purity of fruit. The nose is gorgeously perfumed, with a heady mix of floral and red berry notes, while the palate explodes with crunchy cherry fruit and ends on a satisfying, mouth-watering finish.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

This cuvée is utterly gorgeous in 2016. Its aromas of flowers and red berries are characteristic of the vintage (’15 centred on darker fruit) but also point to the location of the vines, in the climat of Douby, adjacent to Fleury. With mouth-watering acidity and satisfying grip to the mid-palate, La Voute Saint-Vincent ‘16 is a heaven-made made match for charcuterie.
Will Heslop, Wine Buyer

A serious wine in the sense that its complexity, concentration and structure mean it will benefit greatly from another five to ten years in bottle. But equally, Les Impénitents bursts with such intense aromas of blue fruit and something akin to watercolour paints (the result of carbonic maceration) - it’s bound to bring a smile to your face. With every swirl of the glass, an extra layer of aromatic complexity is revealed: earth, gunflint, woodsmoke…
Century-old vines in heavy, clay-rich soils at the base of the Côte du Py (in the lieu dit Javernières) give a wine that is at once massive, with exceptionally fine medium to high tannins, yet light on its feet. The ’14 is shot through with fresh acidity, indicative of a stellar vintage described as ‘classique et gourmand’ by Louis-Benoît Desvignes.
For what it’s worth, the esteemed La Revue du vin de France rated this the top wine of all Beaujolais in 2014.

Javernières hails from the eponymous lieu-dit, at the foot of the Côte du Py in Morgon. Here, schist gives way to soils of deep clay, resulting in rich, concentrated wines, which pinote (become Pinot-like) as they age. Eighth-generation vigneron Louis-Benoît Desvignes attributes this cuvée’s depth of colour to its long, slow vinification – with no punching down, but a grill to keep the macerating fruit submerged – in open concrete vats. The 2017 is a showstopper, with heady aromas of flowers and savoury spice, and exceptional density on the palate. Only after another year or two, as its massive tannins begin to loosen up, will it reveal the extent of its complexity – fortunately, for the time being, we have a case or two of the ’14 remaining.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2018)

Established in 1989, Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud today comprises 18.5 hectares, the majority in the Cru of Morgon. Jean-Marc considers his Côte du Py the cuvée most representative of Morgon’s singularities. From 50-year-old, south-facing vines in soils of blue schist, it combines great concentration – of tannins and ripe black fruit – with a clear mineral thread, and is exceptionally age-worthy. It was harvested first among Jean-Marc’s reds in 2016 (September 22nd), in a bid to capture the bright acidity characteristic of the vintage. As usual, this cuvée was vinified with all stems retained, and matured in concrete vats, allowing fruit and terroir to speak for themselves. Drink 2018-2025.
Will Heslop, Wine Buyer

The excellence of Cru Beaujolais is something I have held dear for some time, but its ageing potential was first brought to my attention when I was served two Moulin-à-Vent wines from 1961 and 1962 produced by Camille Giroud. The freshness and complexity of these wines was simply astonishing and I have since made it something of a personal mission to return these great wines to their rightful place in the cellars and on the tables of the most discerning wine drinkers. The wines in our offer cover a range of styles; whole-bunch, de-stemmed, oaked, unoaked, elegant and floral, dense and structured. This almost endless variety and versatility is what is most fascinating about Gamay grown on Beaujolais’s volcanic soils. What the wines have in common, however, is that they all offer excellent value for money and great drinking pleasure.