Top Cru Beaujolais - Domaines Piron and Lardy

I have been promising to write-up the notes from this rather excellent tasting, ever since it took place in October 2014. It was the result of a summer visit by Nottingham Wine Circle members David Bennett and Peter Bamford to the domaines of Dominique Piron and Lucien Lardy. I don't have much technical information about the viticultural or vinicultural practices of either grower, though I assume David or Peter might chip-in with some info in the comments section. There are links to both growers' websites at the bottom of this post.

By way of full disclosure, I am told by David and Peter that whilst the Piron wines were sold to them at "trade" prices, the wines from Lucien Lardy were very kindly provided free of charge, specifically for this tasting. Not that there is ever any obligation to publish notes on every wine given away by growers. But in this case, it would be a shame not to do so, since the wines - and especially those from Lucien Lardy - are well worthy of merit. From what I am told, Dominique Piron is hailed as one of *the* stars of the region, whilst Lucien Lardy seems to be flying somewhat under the radar............... 

David Bennett (left) and Peter Bamford (right). Apologies for the grainy photo, taken with my phone. Then again, with these two, the softer the focus, the better!

Beaujolais Blanc, “La Chanaise”, Dominique Piron, 2013 

Vanilla and lemon, like a fresh-from-the-oven lemon layer pudding. The palate seems a bit one-dimensional and flat. Decent enough, but boring. 

Beaujolais Blanc, Chardonnay, Lucien Lardy, 2013 ** 

This is really good stuff and, frankly, knocks the Piron into a cocked hat. Identifiably Macon Chardonnay – lemon, apple, minerality, lovely acidity, floral. Yummy! 

Brouilly, Dominique Piron, 2013 ** 

Carbonic maceration? Boiled sweets and tar on the nose, quite floral, meaty too. Brioche. Lots of dark cherry and bramble fruit, lovely acidity and rich, ripe tannins. A lovely drink. 

Fleurie, Dominique Piron, 2013 **+ 

Totally different to the Brouilly above. Smoke, meat, mushroom, iodine, earth, with subtle floral and mineral notes. The palate is contrary – elegant and fine, with more structure – tannins are lighter but grippier. Sour cherry, steely minerality. Long, warming and really lovely. 

Morgon, “Côte du Py”, Dominique Piron, 2013 *** 

Dark, with cherry, meat and floral aromas. Quite northern Rhone, but also quite Cote d’Or - not a bad mix! Ripe and even rich, but very classy and beautifully made. The range of flavours – savoury/fruit/mineral - is exceptional and the balance is spot on. This will be even better in 5-8 years. A really brilliant wine.

Morgon, “Côte du Py”, Dominique Piron, 2012 * 

Apparently 2012 was a disastrous Beaujolais vintage, and I guess it shows in this wine.Very dumb nose. Sniff hard and you get iodine, raspberry, lapsang tea, earth. The palate has hints of emulsion paint, mineral and earth. There is some fruit, but it is all rather lean and graceless (in comparison to 2013’s). 

Régnié, Domaine de la Croix Penet, “Croix Penet”, Dominique Piron, 2012 

Again, iodine/mineral, earth, a hint of meat, quite tannic and extracted, and seemingly having had too much time in barrel. Decent, but not distinguished. 

Chénas, Domaine Piron-Lameloise, “Quartz”, Dominique Piron, 2011 * 

Earthy, meaty (there’s a trend here), ripe, with notes of blueberry muffin and tar. Earthy, dense; lots of ripe, chocolatey tannins and lots of oak. This needs lots of time, though I reserve judgment. 

Fleurie, “Lardy”, Lucien Lardy, 2012 ** 

Complex, in a way that nothing leaps out, but there is plenty going on. Lots of small, sweet, wild strawberry and raspberry, hints of leather and herbs, flowers. This isn’t a show-off – rather it speaks quietly but carefully. Balanced, beautifully structured and elegant. This really is very classy stuff and was a true bargain at €7 from the cellar door. A cracker. 

Fleurie, “Les Chènes”, Lucien Lardy, 2011 **+ 

What a lovely nose! Elegant, full of subtle berry and red cherry fruits, both fresh and crystallised, yin and yang, with a touch of oak, but very carefully done. This is beautifully elegant, balanced, classy. A really lovely wine. 

Fleurie, “Les Chènes du Vivier”, Lucien Lardy, 2011 **+

Another lovely nose - Love Hearts (remember them?) and a lick of classy oak (new, I suspect), but with lots of earthy, minerally, floral and other things going on. The palate is already so elegant, soft yet compelling. I could drink this now, but it has lots of potential. Another lovely wine. 

Fleurie, “Les Moriers, Vieilles Vignes”, Lucien Lardy, 2012 **+

Smells of seared steak – char-grilled. Once again, some oak is evident, but the effect is subtle, with all of the emphasis on fruit – bramble and cassis, black cherry. Complex and compelling wine. This guy makes great wines! Another to drink or keep. 

Fleurie, “Les Moriers, Vieilles Vignes”, Lucien Lardy, 2011 **++ 

I’m losing track and running short of adjectives. Sweet fruit nose (fresh and crystallised), aubergine (apparently), slow roasted beef / gravy, hints of flowers. The palate is once again so complex, so approachable, yet full of verve and truly multi-dimensional. Again, some oak, but the fruit is more than ample. Hints of iodine, cough medicine, mint, jam, bread. Uber complex and utterly delicious.

In conclusion, though some of the Piron reds showed very well, it is worth noting that the best were all from the stellar 2013 vintage, whilst the 2011's and 2012's were pretty average, at least to my palate. The Lardy reds, on the other hand, were all 2011 and 2012 - and without exception, they were all truly delicious. Suffice to say I would love to see what sort of wines he made in the fabulous 2013 vintage!

All of which goes to show that the old adage rings true - it's not about the vintage, it's about the grower. Having said that, one should never assume blindly that a grower's wines are necessarily worthy of their lofty reputation. Ultimately, Piron may be the star, but the Lardy wines were considered by pretty much all those present to be the purest, most structured and most elegant of the two. Indeed, were I to dip my (commercial) toe into the Beaujolais market again (which is unlikely, since I always found it such a hard sell, for some reason) then I would be banging Monsieur Lardy's door down, in order to get my hands on his wines! 

Grower websites;                       

Dominique Piron

Lucien Lardy

                

Summertime - therefore, it must also be Beaujolais time!

Beaujolais is a wine style that seems to have virtually disappeared from many wine enthusiasts' radars, in recent years. And it had certainly not appeared on mine for a while - I can't remember having tasted (never mind drunk) more than a handful of examples in the last 2 or 3 years. Which is a shame, because I like the style, when it is done well. Indeed, I used to sell a few very decent Cru Beaujolais (Régnié, Fleurie, Morgon, Chénas, Moulin-a-Vent) on my website. Trouble is, despite the fact that it was good, hardly anybody bought the stuff. I'm not sure what the reasons were (the prices were eminently reasonable) but I do know that the annual Beaujolais Nouveau campaign did nothing to help the image of the region as a source of quality wine, especially in the eyes of the people gullible enough to buy the stuff. How could they possibly be encouraged to give "proper" Beaujolais a try, based on their experience of the dreaded Nouveau - i.e. generally thin, tart, bubble gum and pear drop-infused wines that no self-respecting wine lover would rinse their glass with? Of course, there are a few half-decent Nouveaus to be had, but even good growers can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

But wait! Is Beaujolais finally experiencing a bit of a long-overdue rennaissance? There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it is - mainly from what I see on wine message boards, with plenty of people posting notes and observations on wines they have bought or tasted recently. And the vibes seem very positive, with some drinkers perhaps experiencing real Beaujolais for the first time, whilst others revisit the style and suddenly remember that they enjoyed the stuff all along. Of course, a great vintage helps to focus the attention and, by popular consensus, 2009 was one of the finest Beaujolais vintages in living memory. A long, dry and very warm (but not excessively hot) summer ensured perfect growing conditions - so perfect, in fact, that the Gamay grapes had no trouble in reaching optimum ripeness levels, even to the extent that the harvest began around a week earlier than normal. Beaujolais is rarely found lacking in the acidity stakes (except when clumsily chaptalised, which can result in wines which taste baked and sickly). But such perfect growing conditions rendered chaptalisation (basically, the addition of sugar to the grape must, designed to add balance and boost alcohol levels) totally unnecessary in 2009. So there you have it. Ripe, sweet fruit, inherantly soft/low tannins and naturally high acidity - the perfect recipe for juicy, fruity wines that are dangerously easy to drink.

So when my friend and fellow wine importer Peter Bamford asked if I would be interested in a couple of sample bottles from the 2009 Beaujolais vintage, I accepted them with relish. And, as it happened, I tasted them with relish, too.

Régnié 2009 Cave des Vignerons de Bel Air

Quite a deep colour, especially for what is normally the lightest Beaujolais Cru, being a semi-transluscent medium ruby/purple. The nose is an absolute riot of strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, apple and citrus fruits, with a hint of blackcurrant leaf. It smells ripe and forward, with an aromatic structure not too far removed from a fruity young Cotes du Rhone. The palate is even better, displaying a soft, seductive, strawberries and cream quality. It is voluptuous, even voluminous, with a depth of real fruit rarely found in the lighter Beaujolais Crus like Régnié, whilst offering all the mouth-watering acidity and freshness one could wish for. It isn't particularly complex, but who needs complexity in a wine so vibrant and fresh? It really is utterly lovely, in a drink-me-now sort of way.

Domaine De La Caleche Fleurie 2009 Cave des Vignerons de Bel Air

Again, quite a deep colour, with a narrow rim. This smells more serious than the Régnié, with some darker fruit notes (bramble and blackcurrant) mingled with the red fruits, and even a hint of orange peel. There are also some savoury, spicy nuances, even a touch of meatiness, whilst subtle notes of polished wood and vanillin suggest a little bit of ageing in older oak barrels. Half an hour after opening, there begin to emerge some very attractive notes of spring flowers and violets, together with white fruits such as apple and peach, suggesting hidden depths and a degree of complexity. The palate is more serious, too, with those savoury notes providing a counter to a core of rich dark cherry and raspberry fruit. There is even a touch of grip, courtesy of some fine, ripe tannins, not to mention of course a lovely backbone of juicy, orange-tinged acidity. Whilst it may not have the immediate "lovability" of the Régnié, this wine grew on me very quickly. Indeed, it is very hard to fault, and really gets into its stride after an hour or so in the decanter. Which tells me that, though delicious already, it will evolve beautifully in bottle over the next 2 or 3 years.

As you can probably tell, I was completely bowled-over by the quality of these 2 wines. And I am indeed left wondering why I have neglected Beaujolais for so long, even if only for my own drinking pleasure. I guess the answer is that, although they have often been good, they have rarely been this good. Will I be stocking them? You bet. Projected website prices will be around £8.75 for the Régnié and £11.25 for the Fleurie.