1605 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

KERMIT LYNCH WINE MERCHANT

Technical Information

Wine Blend Vine Age Soil Type Vineyard Area*
Vin de France “Raisins Gaulois”
Gamay 15 years Sandy decomposed granite 9 ha
Beaujolais “Le Beaujolais”
Gamay 70 years Sandy decomposed granite 2.5 ha
Morgon
Gamay 70 years Sandy decomposed granite 15 ha
Morgon “Cuvée Marcel Lapierre”
Gamay 100 years Sandy decomposed granite 2.5 ha
Morgon “Cuvée Camille”
Gamay 50 - 75 years Sandy decomposed granite 1 ha
Juliénas
Gamay 60 years Volcanic, Schist 5 ha
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• Certified organic by Ecocert since 2004, the estate has worked in accordance with organic viticulture (A.B. label) since the 1980’s
• No chemical fertilizers, synthetic products, or weed killers are used
• To keep soils alive, they use compost and surface plow their vines
• Only non-aggressive treatments are used in order to preserve indigenous yeast populations on grapes and other organisms
• Once the grapes have reached maturity, they are harvested exclusively by hand and put into small containers to prevent any damage to the fruit before vinification
• The bunches undergo a rigorous sorting process “because a clean harvest and an appropriate maturity are essential in our quest for quality during the vinification”
• Only indigenous yeasts are used in fermentation
• The estate vinifies using the traditional “semi-carbonic” method, meaning the majority of berries remain intact and are then saturated with CO2 inside of a closed vat. In this atmosphere, the enzymatic activity manages to start the fermentation
• Wines are bottled unfiltered


Vin de France “Raisins Gaulois”

• Grapes are hand-harvested and meticulously sorted
• Semi-carbonic maceration without SO2, for 4-6 days
• 2 months in “cuve”
• Almost all the grapes for this cuvée come from within the Morgon cru, but the wine is not entitled to the Morgon appellation because yields surpass the accepted limit of 56 hl/ha. This is intentional: the high yields prevent excessive concentration and yield an easy-drinking, fruit-driven red with low alcohol.  


Beaujolais “Le Beaujolais”

• Sourced from three parcels that are just across the village line of Morgon in Lancié, a neighboring commune of Villié Morgon.
• Semi-carbonic maceration without SO2, for 10-21 days, and spends 6 months in “cuve”
• Unlike with the entry-level Raisins Gaulois cuvée, this wine is bottled in the spring instead of winter.
• It is the mid-way cuvée between “Raisins Gaulois” and Morgon

Morgon

• Semi-carbonic maceration without SO2, for 10-21 days
• Ages 9 months in 216 liter barrels

Morgon “Cuvée Marcel Lapierre”

•Only produced in exceptional vintages from the domaine’s oldest vines (100+ years) sourced from the Côte du Py and lieu-dit “Le Douby” near Fleurie.
•Semi-carbonic maceration without SO2, for 15-36 days
•Ages 9 months in 228 liter barrels

Morgon “Cuvée Camille”

•Sourced from an old parcel on the Côte du Py with a south-west exposure and shallow soil
•Long cuvaison in wood fermenter
•Named after Camille Lapierre, Marcel’s daughter, but also her paternal grand-father, also named Camille

Juliénas
•Sourced from the lieu-dit Côte de Bessay
•Produced in only three vintages, 2016, 2017, and 2018

MISCELLANEA

Nobody’s wines taste like Marcel Lapierre’s. He is the source of a whole new school of winemaking, turning the hands of time back to wine the way Mother Nature envisioned it. Tasting it can change the way you taste wine.
Kermit Lynch

Our ideal is to make wine from 100% grape juice.
Marcel Lapierre

General Information

Country
France
Region
Beaujolais
Appellation(s)
Vin de France, Beaujolais, Morgon
Producer
Mathieu & Camille Lapierre
Founded
1909
Annual Production
8,000 cases
Farming
Organic (certified)
Website
http://www.marcel-lapierre.com
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