TN- 2009 M. Lapierre, Morgon

I have been quite busy lately. Therefore, I have not been tasting much wine. However, recently I did submitt to the '09 Bojo hype and ordered a few mixed cases from various producers.

last eve Megan and I had a few hours to enjoy a bottle of wine on the back porch.

This is how it went down.

Brillant, translucent ruby robe. Truely jewel-like. Classic gamay nose. Bright red fruit, some bannana and a wonderful undertone of game/earth. Spice throughout. In the mouth it is utterly mouth-watering. Nice acid, great mid-palate and a lingering finish. All this - while being perfectly weightless on the palate. This wine begs you for another sip.

A wonderful change-up from the ordinary. Last night, in context - it was a perfect wine.


Note: I have now had quite a few of the '09 Cru Bojos… while they were all very nice (the Lapierre being exceptional) I really don’t get the vintage hype. Just an observation.

Jay, It’s kind of a context thing. For my tastes, this great Beaujolais vintage simply means that wines I’m familiar with from earlier vintages are, on average for 09, better. There are a few more great ones and a few less clunkers. 03 was a “great vintage” that I’d like to rewind and skip - chacun son gout = YMMV. Glad the 09 Lapierre delivered. “Perfect” is pretty high praise.

RT

Richard,

Yep, that makes sense. I just haven’t noticed the 2009s to be tremendously superior to other Crus that I have had from other merely “good” vintages. Then, again, I am far from an expert - I guess I drink no more than 10 btls of Bojo a year.

Yes. High praise, indeed. It was perfect for us last night. It was the wine that delivered what we were looking for at that moment - hence, the “context” reference.

opened a bottle of the “N” last night–best Bojo I’ve tasted yet.
This Bojo’s got mojo. (I’ve been wanting to say that.)
Thanks, Martin–great purchase. Not just great Beaujolais–it’s a stunning wine.

alan

My favorite, too.

What is the “N”? I am familiar with the Lapierre Morgon (the 2009 of which I served at Thanksgiving, it was excellent) and the Vieilles Vignes, which I have not seen yet from 2009 (unless Kermit Baby sold them all already)…

Normal or no added sulfur. It’s on the back label where Kermit’s import label is.
alan

Wish I could get a bottle of this, it’s sold out around here.

Have you liked any other '09s as much, Alan? Just had the Foillard “Côte du Py” Morgon '09 which was quite something. But I don’t have anything like your experience.

it’s all over wine-searcher for about $20. I’ve bought a bunch of Bojos, had a few that I’ve really liked (Jadot, Lapalu, and a couple others), but this Lapierre was stunning.

alan

Unless you have perfect cellar conditions, the N can be tricky to age, because of the low sulfur.

Right, it’s essential to keep this cool (ie below about 60 deg as for any low/no sulfur wine). You can put it in the fridge over the summer if your cellar is too warm.

I seem to recall that NY Times writer Asimov just had a bad bottle in fact…

Is this true for all or most cru Beaujolais, or just certain ones? How would you know which ones?

+1

We tasted this and many (too many!) other 09 Bojos at Ten Bells last week and it really stood out.

AFAIK, it’s only a problem if they are low or not sulfured. I believe the sulfuring retards oxidation, otherwise it will proceed more rapidly, esp. at higher temps. Most wines are sulfured, the “gang of four” Bojos tend not to be, I think they believe that sulfuring hides the true flavor.

Peter covers most of what I think I know; the microbe that creates brett can also go wild, apparently, in the absence of sulfur and presence of warmth.

The Gang uses less than many producers, but most of their bottles that come to the States get at least some.

I know who the Axis of Evil and the Big Four accounting firms are, but not the Beaujolais Gang of Four. I take it Lapierre is one – who are the others?

Breton, Foillard, Thévenet (and for a short while, a fifth, Métras)

Does anyone know if Thivin uses low / no sulfer? Earlier this year I ran across and purchased four bottles of their 2005 Côte de Brouilly, thinking it was a good find. However, 3 of the 4 seemed to be prematurely oxidized. I don’t know if that was a reflection of the wine itself, the corks, how it was stored before I bought it, or a combination. I have some 2007 of the same wine, and none of the bottles have shown any sign of this whatsoever, but I bought those shortly after release and they’ve been stored at 55F since.