Beaujolais Season
10/3/26 -
It’s that time of year again, as the first pangs of autumn winds poke through our newly donned sweaters and the trees begin to drop their leaves, much as we shed our spent summer skin and shift into all things cozy, hearty and comforting. It’s time to trade in that cold brew for a hot latte, to pull those boots out of the closet and to discover the long forgotten crumpled bills hiding in our jacket pockets. Score! But alas, an even greater transition is upon us: we are now drinking red wine. To make that changeover a bit easier we’ve amassed a collection of what is, at least to me, THE quintessential autumn wine. It’s Beaujolais season, baby! Get with it or get left behind.
Today we have a range of beautiful Beaujolais, including new arrivals from some of the region’s foremost pioneers alongside a few exciting newcomers. Among the former are the always spectacular Morgon Côte du Py from Jean Foillard, Lapierre’s 2025 Morgon, and Jean-Paul Thévenet’s Morgon Vieilles Vignes, tasting great in the 2024 vintage. Additionally, the spectacular wines of Georges Descombes have long been favorites at the shop and provide some of the greatest value to be found anywhere. We also happily welcome back the wines of Jean-Claude Lapalu, another pioneer whose 2023 Côte de Brouilly is exquisite.
Yann Bertrand (photo: Coeur Wine)
Following in the footsteps of some of these greats is Yann Bertrand, who grew up in Fleurie and learned from the likes of Foillard, Yvon Metras, and natural wine guru Jacques Néauport. Yann works about nine hectares of vines including a single 7.5 hectare plot called Grand Pré, which contains vines both in Fleurie and a small part of Morgon. His family began converting to organic practices in the early 90s and they became certified organic in 2013. The wines are made using whole cluster fermentation and with no added sulfur, resulting in vibrant and expressive Gamay that shows off the deft touch and thoughtful vision of a winemaker who is becoming increasingly popular amongst those in the know. Another exciting name to look out for is Pierre Cotton, whose 2023 Brouilly 100% Cotton is an outstanding example of a no-sulfur wine with elegance, personality and verve. -
-Jeff DiLorenzo
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Daniel Bouland
We're very happy to offer four wines from the 2021 vintage from Daniel Bouland in Morgon. Bouland makes some to the finest wines in the Beaujolais, all of which will age beautifully for 10 to 25 years. 2021 was a particularly successful vintage for Bouland as the cooler weather allowed him to produce bright, perfectly balanced wines with moderate alcohol that are drinking superbly now. The Morgon Bellevue "Sable" and the Morgon Bellevue "Cailloux" are reaching full maturity and will drink well over the next 5 years, while the Morgon "Delys" Vieilles Vignes 1926 and the Morgon Corcelette "Cailloux" will benefit from a long decant and will develop further over 10 to 15 years. "Daniel Bouland is a great producer of old-fashioned Morgon. From less than 7 hectares of old vines in the Douby, Côte de Py, and Delys lieux-dits of Morgon, plus small parcels in Chiroubles and Côte de Brouilly, he makes wines that can age 20 years, and are comparable to fine Côte de Nuits Burgundies." - Importer Peter Weygandt. "They are among the greatest wines produced in Beaujolais today." - John Gilman, The View from the Cellar
Today's offer contains two vintages of the rare and beautiful Fleurie "La Madone" from Domaine J. Chamonard, as well as the 2019 Morgon Le Clos de Lys. Joseph Chamonard was one of the first growers in Morgon to adopt the ideas of Jules Chauvet and quietly made some of the greatest Beaujolais on his small estate. His daughter Genevieve and her husband Jean-Claude Chanudet took over in 1990 and have continued to make small quantities of superb Morgon and Fleurie. Not as well known as Lapierre, Foillard, Descombes and other "stars" of the region, the wines of Domaine Chamonard are certainly of equal quality and deserve your attention.
-David Lillie
