joseph chamonard morgon 2018

jean-claude chanudet took over the chamonard estate from his father-in-law with his wife geneviève, a small family business established since the 18th century, in the heart of the beaujolais region in the fleurie and morgon appellations, where he cultivates 4 hectares of vines with serenity. the plots of morgon are scattered in the four corners of the commune of villié-morgon on beautiful plots of land in the middle of the slopes exposed to the south-south-west on a soil composed of decomposed rocks and friable schist: les chênes, corcelette, les grands cras and le colombier. while the fleurie cuvée is located in the la madone sector, a choice location. the chanudet family's convictions are as solid as the granite on which their vines grow: take risks, be patient, respect the heritage. they use a vertical press like the old ones and rinse it with brandy before each press. formerly a bottler, now a winemaker, he has this casualness in the cellar as well as in the vineyard that others do not have. he is in organic culture but one suspects him to be somewhat in the same vein "natural wines" as his dear friends marcel lapierre and pierre overnoy. but he is making his own way, producing wines of fine character, balance and amazing longevity. the number one objective is to deliver all the strength of gamay while respecting the environment and offering a quality product. appreciated abroad, the domain is exporting more and more. the chamonard estate cultivates half a hectare of vines in the madone sector, so called because a statue of the virgin mary perched at the top of the chapel overlooks the most beautiful hill in fleurie at an altitude of 400 meters. the terroir is made up of pink granite into which the roots of the vines plunge deeply. the fruit is concentrated because the vines are between 60 and 90 years old, which gives a fine wine with tight tannins and floral and black fruit aromas. it can be enjoyed in its youth as well as after a period in the cellar which will improve it. this morgon delivers aromas of small red fruits (cherry, raspberry). the palate is greedy, with a fine acidity and beautiful bitters on the finish.