Variety: Gamay

Marcel Lapierre is a name that will live on as a legend in the region of Beaujolais. After taking over his father’s domain, life changed for Marcel when he met Jules Chavet, who has been deemed his spiritual godfather. Jules represented many things to Marcel in the winemaking world, but most notably, it was he who had spoken about natural wine during the 1950s when chemical fertilizers and pesticides began to appear. He wanted to keep the traditional ways of Beaujolais intact. Marcel Lapierre became the torch carrier of this return to natural winemaking, and additionally, the “Gang of Four”—a nickname given by Kermit Lynch to Marcel and local vignerons who carried out this mission. This return to old ways meant harvesting later, starting with old vines that naturally yield lower, and minimal doses of sulphur dioxide or none at all. Marcel Lapierre unfortunately passed in 2010; his son Mathieu carries on the legacy of his father.

Raisins Galois, in a way, is a declassified version of the Morgon bottling also made by Mathieu Lapierre. The juice is derived almost all from the Morgon cru, but higher yields and younger vines are what sets it apart. Because its yield surpasses the 56 hectoliters per hectare, the wine does not quite make the cut. Even so, the wine is less concentrated, easier to drink, and lower in alcohol, making it an all around crown pleaser. “Raisins Galois” means simple “Gallic grapes.”