Desvignes Morgon Cote Du Py Cuvée Javernières Aux Pierres – 2021

This wine was new to the Desvignes range in the 2020 vintage. It comes from a tiny 0.57 hectare plot of 90 year old vines grown on the schistous, volcanic soils of Morgon’s Clos du Puy vineyard.

The vineyard has been cultivated organically since 2005. The grapes were picked by hand, then vinified in the traditional Beaujolais method of leaving the whole grapes to ferment naturally for 10 days. The resulting wine was then left in concrete eggs to mature for 10 months before bottling.

Rich and deep with dark cherry fruit flavours, this has a surprisingly high level of fruit density and structure for the cool 2021 vintage. It also has plenty of fresh, slightly salty acidity to give impeccable balance.  

“From an east-facing parcel of 90-year-old vines, 2021 Morgon Côte du Py Javernières Aux Pierres is also superb, delivering aromas of blackberries, plums, exotic spices and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s seamless and enveloping, with a layered core of fruit that largely conceals its ripe structuring tannins. This bottling, which joined the range last year, is rapidly establishing itself as one of the high points of the portfolio.” 94/100pts Wine Advocate

“Louis-Benoît Desvignes reported yields averaging 23 hectoliters per hectare in the 2021 vintage, mainly due to losses from frost, which made for uneven ripeness down the line. The domaine accordingly destemmed more than usual, opting for macerations lasting 12–13 days. The results remind Louis-Benoît increasingly of the 2016 vintage, a very successful year in a more classical register at this address. As I’ve written before, this 13-hectare domaine produces some of the longest lived and most serious wines in the Beaujolais. Old vines, farmed organically and harvested late, produce grapes that see traditional winemaking with a submerged cap. The result is a range of inky, saturated reds with plenty of character and structure, and the top cuvées generally have no trouble evolving for two decades.” William Kelley, Wine Advocate