Domaine Marcel Lapierre - Le Beaujolais 2024

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Mathieu Lapierre, now joined by his sister Camille, continues the legacy established by his father Marcel, who passed away too soon. It was in 1981, at the urging of Jules Chauvet, a distinguished researcher, that Marcel Lapierre decided to make wine without sulfur or cultured yeasts, and to cultivate his vineyards using biodynamic methods. Since his father’s passing, Mathieu Lapierre has carried on his father’s legacy with the same passion—and with great success. A former chef, Mathieu Lapierre is driven by precision and rigor. Sulfur-free winemaking is not an absolute goal and should only be pursued when conditions permit. 2017 presents a dilemma: choosing between the natural cuvée and the sulfited one, each possessing qualities the other lacks! It is a matter of taste that only the connoisseur can decide, as both philosophies seem equally valid to us.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Since Marcel Lapierre’s passing, his wife Marie, his son Mathieu, and his daughter Camille have carried on the spirit of “natural” wines, a movement of which he was one of the pioneers. The Lapierres’ strength lies in their beautiful vineyards, cultivated organically since 1981, which allow them to produce a Morgon representative of the appellation, complemented by a “sulfur-free” wine offering immediate pleasure and a more niche Julienas. To meet demand, the estate also purchases grapes. The wine is aged without sulfur for an average of nine months in barrels ranging from three to thirteen years old, as well as in venerable casks. The estate has entered an era where it can produce “natural” wines consistently, without overflow.

James Suckling