# Cuvée Camille Morgon (2024)

- **Producer:** Domaine Marcel Lapierre
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Gamay
- **Region:** Beaujolais, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €38
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 13–15 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, raspberry, violet, black pepper, smoke, forest floor, game, leather

## About this wine

Cuvée Camille is a special tribute bottling from the legendary Domaine Marcel Lapierre, now run by his children Mathieu and Camille. Sourced from ancient, biodynamically farmed vines on the prestigious Côte du Py hill in Morgon, Beaujolais, this cuvée represents a deeper, more structured expression of the Gamay grape. The Lapierre estate is world-renowned as a pioneer of the natural wine movement, championing old vines, organic viticulture, and minimal-intervention winemaking since the 1980s under the guidance of Jules Chauvet.

## Interesting facts

- Named after Camille Lapierre, who returned to the family estate in 2013 to co-manage it with her brother Mathieu.
- Sourced from the iconic Côte du Py, an extinct volcano with blue schist soils that give the wine its unique vertical structure.
- Domaine Lapierre was a founding member of the 'Gang of Four' who revolutionized Beaujolais by returning to traditional, natural methods.

## Food pairing

The vibrant acidity and moderate tannins of this structured Gamay cut beautifully through rich, fatty meats like duck and pork. Its red fruit profile complements dishes featuring cherries or cranberries, while the earthy undertones of Côte du Py pair exceptionally well with mushrooms and rustic charcuterie.

## Wine making process

The grapes are harvested by hand and undergo a strict sorting process. Winemaking follows the traditional Lapierre method: semi-carbonic maceration in truncated wooden vats for an extended period (long cuvaison) without the addition of sulfur dioxide or commercial yeasts. The wine is aged in older French oak barrels (pièces and foudres) for approximately 9 months before being bottled unfiltered and unfined, capturing the pure, vibrant essence of the Côte du Py terroir.