The name is familiar. There are lots of folks named Thevenet in southern Burgundy. But they are typically white wine producers. Associating the name Thevenet with Beaujolais is, however, something fairly new for most folks. The domaine itself has only been around since 2013, and Anthony Thevenet has had to learn on the fly given the wide variations in vintages since the domaine’s inception.
Anthony is a member of Beaujolais new wave of young, passionate vignerons that hold as ideal the purity and legacy in Cru Beaujolais. In 2010, Thévenet inherited his grandfather’s vineyard in Villié-Morgon, with vines ranging from 40-150 years old. That same year he began working alongside Beaujolais icons Jean Foillard and George Descombes in the field and in the cellar. He honed his skills with these established producers and, based on this wine, he learned well. The vintage 2021 was no slam dunk but this is a gem by any standard.
All the wines are vinified with a carbonic maceration without any sulfur added until just before bottling, and they ferment at temperatures no lower than 16°C. There are no added yeasts, and the fermentations are done in a gentle, infusion style, and can last between eight to thirty days, with the latter rarer and only employed for the top wines. There is no fining or filtration, and the total sulfite levels are under 15mg/L (15ppm…extremely low). The purity and clarity of each wine’s terroir expression is due to Thevenet’s ultra-low sulfite content and his undivided attention to detail.
This is the first bottling of this cuvee, Anthony Thevenet Morgon Le Clos 2021, is from 20-year-old vines situated in granitic bedrock and sand. Even though it is done with carbonic, it has none of the cursory, simple fruitiness of a lot of commercial Beaujolais. It is, instead, more in the Burgundian, ‘old school’ style of mentor Foillard, but with a more focused style. There is weight and richness, complex aromatics, and a refined palate authority. Rather than blend it into other Morgon bottlings, Thevenet felt this cuvee made its own statement. There’s an abundance of red fruits (cherry, plum, mulberry) with subtle underpinnings of mineral as you expect from such a site, and an augmenting savory backbone. Precise and delicious, this is one of those wines that performs well above most people’s perception of its appellation.
Apparently Neal martin of Vinous, one of the few to deliver early words on the 2021s, was also in our camp,” The 2021 Morgon le Clos is the maiden release from vines just in front of the winery on soils of clay with a little sand. it undergoes a 10-day maceration. This is sprightly on the nose with rose petal infused transparent red fruit. Very elegant. The palate is medium-bodied with a life affirming mineral-driven entry. Vivid and refined with a precise tart finish that is simply one of the best you will come across in this vintage. Brilliant… 94 points.”