Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Grands Cras 2021

Jean-Marc Burgaud is a budding young star in Beaujolais. Located in the village of Morgon, he is hard working and meticulous and has great ambitions for his wines coming from high quality vineyards. His 19 hectares (Beaujolais villages 5 hectares; Régnié 1 hectare; Morgon 13 hectares) are planted with Gamay Noir on granitic/schistose hillsides. The Beaujolais-Villages comes from Chateau du Thulon in the village of Lantignie. The village is renowned for its hillsides and its granite soil. The 12th century chateau belonged to Jean-Marc Burgaud’s aunt, Madame Jambon. The vinification, elevage and bottling all take place in the chateau cellars. The vines are, on average, 40 years old. Typical Beaujolais vinification, with carbonic maceration of the whole berries for 5 to 6 days. Raised in tank for 4 to 5 months. Within Morgon there are several lieu dits and the Cote du Py is considered as the best vineyard in the appellation. This large sloping hillside, where the vines are in excess of 50 years old, has soil of schists, degraded rock, iron oxide and manganese which impart a distinct minerality to the wine. This is a well-structured wine, redolent of black fruits (mulberries and cherries). Carbonic maceration of the whole berries lasts 12 to 15 days, and the wine is raised in barrel as well as tank. Jean-Marc's wines are all very bright and pure. Incredible value down the line as Burgaud wines are underpriced compared to other cru Beaujolais producers, especially considering the quality.      

'For several years running, I've observed that Jean-Marc Burgaud is a winemaker at the peak of his powers, and the success with which he has met the challenges of the 2021 vintage are only further evidence in support of that contention. These are some of the most consistently delicious wines being produced in the region today, and they're all the better for the fact that Burgaud has abandoned new oak in favor of seasoned wood and pursues gentler extraction than in the past, with his classical semi-carbonic macerations ranging from between seven and 15 days in duration, depending on the cuvée. And there's just one bottling of each wine, making for rare homogeneity—even for his 4.3-hectare holdings in Beaujolais-Lantignié (one of the region's finest values, incidentally). 2021 marks a return to a succulent, perfumed, lighter-bodied style of Beaujolais at this address, as elsewhere, and Burgaud has capitalized on its possibilities to produce a portfolio of purity and charm.' William Kelley, Wine Advocate