Tasted with Laurent in Morgon, 13 April 2016.
Laurent Gauthier
Morgon
69910 Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 6 07 69 26 93
www.laurent-gauthier.com
Here is a domaine, extant since 1832, Laurent Gauthier is the 6th generation at the helm. The domaine covers 24 hectares, 8 in Morgon of-which Côte du Py represents 5.8 hectares – “I’ve also a bit of Chiroubles” says Laurent. Laurent says that he’s destemmed his grapes for about 12-14 years, “The actual percentage of destemming really depends on the maturity of the stems” he says. “In 2014 they were not so ripe so I destemmed 90%. In 2015 it was more like 20% destemmed as the grapes and stems were so ripe.”
“I always harvest reasonably late, and use a grill in the tank to keep the skins below the surface of the liquor, so virtually no pigeage is needed.” All the cuvées of Vieilles Vignes stay 8-14 months in barrel, but there are also 500 litre demi-muids and 35 hl foudres in use too.
About 30% of the production is exported, mainly to the USA and Canada, but also the Swedish Systembologet…
The wines…
There’s a little Beaujolais Villages here, but Laurent has chosen to also make a rosé with it in the last 5-6 years – it sells well.
Really a good address here – much to enjoy…
2015 Beaujolais Villages Rosé
‘There’s a big demand for finesse right now. This has a 2 month ‘soft’ fermentation at 15 degrees like a white.’
A very inviting, pretty nose – why can’t most people do that with the reds? Really pretty, tasty wine, of-course for aperitif but a good weight of tasty flavour.
2014 Chiroubles Vieilles Vignes
Enamel and concrete tanks for grapes grown on rose granite. Relatively early bottlings here.
Deep, dark but vibrant fruit. A little lush, a little pyrazine inflected flavours, floral after with a hint of salinity, tasty wine…
2014 Morgon Grand Cras
Bottled just after harvest on October
Tighter, but with silky dark fruit – appealing. Fills the mouth well, a little texture of tannin below, bright and open growth of mid-palate flavour – yum! Nice length too. A really nice line of aroma in the empty glass.
2014 Morgon Côte de Py
Airy, floral, impressively open and inviting nose. Supple, beautiful fruit – complex but cushioned. Tastes fine, juicy and not a little mineral. Delicious today already.
Open, complex, faintly spiced – lovely perfumed wine. A little more strict tannin, faintly dry but fresh and super-tasty. Persistent too. What a lovely wine – a hint young but super!
Compared to the Cras this is clearly less overt but there’s concentration at the fore of the nose – a fine floral top note too. Less overtly structured, but it’s there – fine energy and complexity. The best finish – wow – an explosion of fruit and flowers – I’m like these wines very much!
This is interesting, open, complex, with an almost grained aromatic – just a faint development. Really mouth-filling, good texture super extra dimension if fruit flavour. Concentrated, violet flowers in the finish – super yum.
2011 Morgon Côte de Py
12 is sold out!
Here is a faintly spiced sweet red fruit nose – like all these wines with a fine clarity. Intense, waves of flavour, some ripe tannin at the base. Fresh fruit, not obviously the longest but super wine. Last drops in the glass smell lovely…
Laurent: ‘I always thought 2010 good but didn’t expect it to be very good!’
Like most of the 10s I’ve tasted, this has a fine clarity of red fruit almost airy impression – yes! Big in the mouth, voluptuous, layers of great flavour. Great wine, really concentrated but moves with ease over the palate, finishing with flowers in the mouth – bravo!