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M & C Lapierre Morgon "N" 2022

Red Wine from Beaujolais, France
$44.99
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It's that glorious time of year when we get to announce the arrival of Lapierre's Morgon "N" on the West Coast. Many of you already know and love this wine, and so feel free to click above or below to order right away. Want to hear why we at Flatiron love it so much? Then read on!

Thinking back on all the wines we've come across over the years, it's no exaggeration to say that Lapierre's Morgon is the most perfect. No, it's not Musigny or Petrus, it's not the fanciest, the longest-lived or most expensive. And yet, it is perfect.

It is perfect because it is a wine that you will always want to drink. There is no moment in your wine life when a bottle of Lapierre won't do the trick. In the afternoon with friends. Before dinner, with dinner, after dinner: it's perfect.

It is perfect because it is the most effortlessly drinkable wine you can imagine. Every sip is so satisfying that you are compelled to take one more. Before you know it the bottle is gone.

It is perfect because it can please any and all sorts of wine lovers. The college student who has drunk nothing but beer takes one sip and is instantly seduced by the wine's pleasure. The lucky few who have tasted the heights of Petrus and Musigny still take great satisfaction from Lapierre. In fact, when you've finished such a "grand" bottle and want another glass of something to decompress with, it's perfect.

Even more remarkable, it's true every vintage (and a few of us at Flatiron are approaching 20 vintages of Lapierre now, sheesh). And the 2022 is as lovely as can be. Transparent red fruits and that lovely effortless, almost weightless texture that belies the underlying depth and complexity. It's a vintage that will be fun to drink now and over the next 5 plus years.

To be clear what we have today is the cuvée “N” -- the Lapierre bottling with no sulfur added (as opposed to the "S" which is usually released 6 months earlier). This is the wine that kicked off the whole sulfur free movement. The original 'natural wine.' Marcel Lapierre figured out how to do it first and, for our money, his kids still do it best.

Matthieu and Camille, who have run the domaine since their father's passing, continue to make pitch-perfect Lapierre wine. Of all the incredible things their father taught them to do in the vineyard and in the cellar, the thing that really sets them apart is what they know not to do: they never release an unsulfured wine when they have any doubts. The family that invented it doesn't feel the need to do it unless everything's just right.

The domaine of Marcel Lapierre needs no introduction. Since Marcel Lapierre pioneered organic and natural winemaking practices in the 80’s, the estate has risen not just to the top of Beaujolais’ pantheon, but right to the top of the wine world’s. On the one hand, it must be nice to receive the reins of such an established and already legendary winery. On the other, there must be immense pressure to upkeep and improve upon a very tough act to follow. Since Marcel passed away in 2010, his son Mathieu and daughter Camille have taken over the domaine jointly, and lucky for us, the wines continue to wow and please.

Camille returned to the winery full-time in 2013, but not without having dipped her feet across the world in some equally impressive establishments. Harvesting with names like Louis-Antoine Luyt in Chile, and Pheasant’s Tears in Georgia, only begin to give you an idea of her curiosity and adventurous spirit. And like any good vigneronne, she topped it off studying at the prestigious wine school in Beaune after working as a sommelier for a number of years. It is perhaps this wide ranging experience that gives her an especially sharp business acumen and realism.

Ask her about natural wines and you'll hear she is not a believer in the term, nor in extreme dogmatism when it comes to winemaking. Only that steps should be taken to make the wines as natural as possible without compromising quality. Her father, quite famously, blazed the trail for no-sulfur-added wines.

Camille’s philosophy? Add sulfur when you need to, and none when you don't. The winery typically makes 2 cuveés of Morgon named “N” and “S”, with “S” receiving a tiny bit of sulfur at bottling and “N” no sulfur. In 2015, they decided not to make the “N” cuvee at all as it was an extremely warm year and the wines tended to be overly oxidative and volatile. When asked what she wanted for Christmas that year, Camille replied “dry wines.”

Today, the Lapierre winery is 100% certified organic and experimenting with biodynamics, but Camille says if they don't see improvement or results, they won't convert. Many traditions of their father live on in the wines of Marcel Lapierre of course, yet a certain focus and pragmatism has been added by the newer guard. It is at this intersection between the old and new that we are starting to see some of the world’s most exciting wines pushing boundaries and Lapierre certainly continues to be one of them.

Details

  • Grape Variety

    Gamay

  • Vintage

    2022

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Natural

  • Style

    Fruity , Juicy , Minerally

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Light Bodied

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