Winemaker Notes
This wine requires a little time to open up, gradually revealing notes of wildflowers and undergrowth. Delicate and round on the palate, it offers a delicious balance of crisp fruit and a subtle hint of bitterness. Morgon is no exception to the finesse and elegance that define the 2022 vintage. It can be enjoyed both in its youth and after some maturation.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Here's an excellent introduction to the wines of this renowned Beaujolais cru that combines ample powdery tannins with bright red fruit character on the medium-bodied palate. Long, moderately dry finish with hints of licorice and forest floor. From parcels growing on volcanic soil and glacial deposits. Sustainable. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening with warm-toned blue fruit, crushed white petals, amber spice and vanilla bean, the 2022 Morgon is a satisfactory offering from the domaine for the 2022 vintage. Medium to full-bodied, it is structured with a chalky texture that supports its weight effectively, adding depth and driving the finish with a compelling textural intrigue. However, the wine has a subtle edge, stemming from the interplay of tangy acidity and the noticeable alcohol from such a hot vintage, predicted to tone down with further time in bottle. Rating: 90+
Delightfully playful, but also capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines. From Beaujolais, Gamay generally has three classes: Beaujolais Nouveau, a decidedly young, fruit-driven wine, Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais. The Villages and Crus are highly ranked grape growing communes whose wines are capable of improving with age whereas Nouveau, released two months after harvest, is intended for immediate consumption. Somm Secret—The ten different Crus have their own distinct personalities—Fleurie is delicate and floral, Côte de Brouilly is concentrated and elegant and Morgon is structured and age-worthy.
The bucolic region often identified as the southern part of Burgundy, Beaujolais actually doesn’t have a whole lot in common with the rest of the region in terms of climate, soil types and grape varieties. Beaujolais achieves its own identity with variations on style of one grape, Gamay.
Gamay was actually grown throughout all of Burgundy until 1395 when the Duke of Burgundy banished it south, making room for Pinot Noir to inhabit all of the “superior” hillsides of Burgundy proper. This was good news for Gamay as it produces a much better wine in the granitic soils of Beaujolais, compared with the limestone escarpments of the Côte d’Or.
Four styles of Beaujolais wines exist. The simplest, and one that has regrettably given the region a subpar reputation, is Beaujolais Nouveau. This is the Beaujolais wine that is made using carbonic maceration (a quick fermentation that results in sweet aromas) and is released on the third Thursday of November in the same year as harvest. It's meant to drink young and is flirty, fruity and fun. The rest of Beaujolais is where the serious wines are found. Aside from the wines simply labelled, Beaujolais, there are the Beaujolais-Villages wines, which must come from the hilly northern part of the region, and offer reasonable values with some gems among them. The superior sections are the cru vineyards coming from ten distinct communes: St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Regnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly. Any cru Beajolais will have its commune name prominent on the label.