Sebastien Besson Morgon 2019 (750 ml)

The Morgon comes from the granite soils on the northern side of the Cru, are all estate bush vines, and hand-harvested when the balance in the fruit is perfect. The grapes are kept cold for an evening before being placed, as whole clusters, into both stainless steel tanks and cement vats, in order to retain some of the phenolic character and aromatics that the 35-year-old vines give. Natural fermentation begins and only 1 to 2 pump-overs are performed daily for 17 days, until a gentle pressing off the skins and the wine is returned to its vessel and ages for 7 months in concrete before bottling. The resulting wine is vibrant and alive, with juicy mountain fruit, black velvet roses, thorny bramble, and a captivatingly wild and fresh floral nuance. In the mouth this Gamay is packed with acidity to play with the ripe raspberries, the best cherries in the bowl, stony earth, juice dripping strawberries, and purple flower buds; the tannins are soft and the finish goes forever.

There is a very exciting renaissance that has been happening in the Beaujolais region of France, and at its core is a new generation of winemakers that have learned everything they know from their progenitors. To pair with that unparalleled guidance, there is a youthful energy and worldly view that is taking the wines and the region to yet again new heights. Sébastien Besson is now the fourth generation of the family to take the helm at Domaine du Penlois, which originated in the 1920's by his great-grandfather Benoît, situated on the small hill called Lancié (nestled in between Morgon, Fleuri, and Moulin-à-Vent). Sébastien's father, Maxence, took over in 1977 and accrued more and more Cru vineyards in the region, giving the Domaine 30 hectares in total. While making sustainably farmed Domaine wines with his father, Sébastien began an eponymous project in 2016. He converted small granite-rich plots on the property to strict organic farming, spanning not only portions of their Village Appellation sites, but parcels of three Crus as well (a total of 7 hectares). With natural fermentations and aging in concrete vats, and a small sulfur addition before bottling, the wines of Sébasten Besson are pure, driven, and remarkable expressions of top Beaujolais. 

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