Wines

Planted mostly in the 1940's, the mix of vineyards comes mostly from Douby, a zone on the north side of Morgon between the famous Côte de Py hill and Fleurie, and the lieu-dit, Courcelette, a parcel completely made of soft, coarse beach-like sands. Much of these vineyards are on softly sloping aspects ranging from southeast to southwest. There are rocky sections also, but generally the vineyards are sandy, leading to wines led by elegance and subtlety, but endowed with great length and complexity from their very old vines. The climate here is a warm by contrast to those further uphill.

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

99 Points! If you want to know why so many old wine books sing the praises of this appellation, try this expansively rich and velvety Moulin-a-Vent. Masses of fine tannins that are already beautifully integrated on the medium- to full-bodied palate. They build and build to an almost overwhelming climax in the fabulously long and impeccably balanced finish. Limited production. Matured in used oak barrels from Burgundy for just under a year. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

96 Points! Welcome to the dark heart of Morgon. Enormous structure, but the tannins are very fine and there's easily enough concentration to balance them in a very sensual manner. Stacks of black cherry and forest berry fruit, also some dry forest-floor character. All the power expected from this appellation is in the compact and beautifully crafted finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The Duemani 2021 Cabernet Franc CiFRA is an entry-level wine that punches above its weight class (and its price point). This organic and biodynamic wine reveals dark, purplish fruit with a soft texture and velvety quality. It is layered with fresh blackberry, plum and tobacco, but the energy of the primary fruit is what stands out in this classic vintage. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

Founded directly above the San Andreas Fault, DeRose Vineyards is located in one of the most active earthquake areasin the World. Furthermore, it is one of only a few wineries anywhere to have a major fissure dissecting its wine cellars. DeRose has vineyards on both sides of the infamous fault. Soils east of the break contain fragmented granite and crumbled sandstone while those on the west side are mostly granite and limestone. Some blocks lie precisely above the line, their tilled surfaces concealing the fissure far below. Cabernet Franc grows east of the fault in loosely packed loam where the drainage is excellent.

A temperamental grape variety in many locations, Cabernet Franc thrives on the DeRose estate, creating heavily extracted wines with wonderful viscosity. Winemaker Pat DeRose prunes each vine in the winter and later exposes the grapes to beneficial sunlight with careful leaf removal. Clusters are thinned after veraison to attain proper vine balance.

92 Points! Based on 81% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Malbec, the 2021 Cabernet Franc sports a vivid purple hue to go with impressive aromatics of cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, and chocolaty oak. It's medium-bodied and has a supple, elegant mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish. A beautiful wine, it might even be better in another year or two as it integrates its oak. Regardless, it's a terrific value that I'd happily drink any time over the coming 8-10 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points! A rich and fruity cabernet franc with creamy berries, vanilla and sweet oak spices on the nose. Medium body with plush tannins. Creamy berries and mocha on the palate with dried herbs and cedar in the finish. Try after 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

From the importer: Originating from vines planted on clay and chalk (tuffeau) soil, this wine offers the distinctive character of Cabernet Franc: deep and bright ruby color, fine aromas of red fruits (red current, cherry) and floral subtleties (violet, iris), fine and velvety tannin, with a fresh and balanced finish. Best served below room temperature (14 to 16º C), Clos des Cordeliers Cuvée Tradition is at its prime when young and is the perfect companion for cold meats, roasted meats, grilled fish and cheese.

94 Points! Sweet tobacco, currants and white pepper here, with a red-chili note. Medium-to full-bodied with seamless, ripe tannins on the palate. Flavorful, yet elegant. Extremely well made. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

From the importer: The domaine’s top red wine is the cuvée Charles de Batz, which was the original name of d'Artignan. The wine is composed of 90% Tannat with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are between 50 and 100 years old. After being completely destemmed, the Cabernet and Tannat are fermented separately in cement tanks. During this time, a bit of micro-oxygenation or microboullage takes place. The wine then goes into oak (50% new) in an underground cellar where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After 12 months in wood, it is blended and bottled after a very light filtration.

Very ripe, rich Madiran that takes no prisoners. This wine succeeds in obtaining more fruit than tannin! The color is nearly opaque—wine doesn't get much darker than this. It displays notes of black fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry) along with just a hint of red fruit. There is a cedar-like creaminess to the oak which is extremely well-integrated. Tannins pick up on the finish but, let's face it, this is Madiran and that is to be expected. These tannins seem to dissolve when the wine is matched with richly flavored meats like leg of lamb, duck, goose or game.

Damien Coquelet’s stepfather, Georges Descombes, is a legendary pioneer of the modernist, natural winemaking school of Beaujolais. Coquelet set up shop by himself, under his own name, in 2007, at the age of 20. He now owns two-and-a-half hectares of vines in Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages and leases another six-and-a-half in Beaujolais-Villages, Morgon, Chiroubles and Chénas. Coquelet makes his wines with whole clusters and native yeasts via carbonic maceration, fermented and raised entirely in concrete tanks and with just a bit of sulfur added at bottling. While the wines can sometimes reveal a wild streak, they are, some consider, in the “natural” camp of Beaujolais, but I almost always find them relatively civilized and joyous to drink, even on release. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

93 Points! Against all odds, the 2020 Cabernet Franc, from a warm and dry year, feels fresher and more harmonious than the two other vintages I tasted next to it, the cooler 2019 and 2021. It contains some 10% Malbec that fermented together with the Cabernet Franc, which feels very integrated and softened the tannins that feel velvety but without losing grip. It spent 15 months in ancient oak foudres, and the oak feels very integrated. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

93 Points! Here’s a very well-structured wine for a Beaujolais-Villages. Subtle sour cherry and wild strawberry aromas fill the rather sleek, barely medium-bodied palate, which has a lovely mineral freshness and a hint of blood oranges at the long, crisp finish. From four hectares of vineyards with 45- to 70-year-old vines. Fermented and matured only in concrete tanks. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

92-94 Points! The 2022 Côte du Py blossoms on the nose more than Burgaud's other barrel samples with gorgeous floral scents, red berries, crushed stone. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins. This really grabs hold of the terroir with both hands and exudes tension and energy on the finish. Queue up for this. Drink: 2026-2040. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media

97 Points! An inspiring Morgon Cote du Py. Smelling this is like looking down into a vast chasm filled with blackberries. Stunning mineral energy and focus on the medium-bodied palate. You can almost taste the wind that whips over this hilltop site. Then a wave of tiny, fresh blackberries washes over your palate at the wonderfully energetic finish. The production from six hectares goes into this wine. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

96 Points! The fantastic nose of forest berries with undertones of forest floor pulls you inexorably into this medium- to full-bodied Morgon beauty. Excellent concentration, with stacks of very fine tannins that give this serious persistence and makes it hard to pull yourself away. From vines planted in 1933. Drinkable now, but best from 2025. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2018 Cabernet Franc Family, aged in 25% new oak (Vicard and Mercurey cooperages) for 18 months, easily possesses the finest nose of the three Cabernet Francs that I tasted from Raats, with soaring red berry fruit laced with bell pepper, powdered dark chocolate and gravel. The fresh, vibrant palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, fine acidity and a very precise and sustained finish. This is an outstanding Cabernet Franc. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media