David Schildknecht of the Wine Advocate implores consumers to drink more Beaujolais calling it a "happy hunting ground for jaded or bargain-seeking wine lovers" continuing a trend that has brought much greater exposure to the region over the past few vintages. We are thrilled to again offer one of the region's most exciting producers Domaine Mathieu and Camille Lapierre. Long-time followers will note change in name from Domaine M. Lapierre to Mathieu and Camille. Sadly Marcel passed away in October 2010. He was a tremendous gentleman who hosted members of our team on numerous occasions. He was a visionary, and he will be missed. Today Mathieu, who had been working alongside his father since 2005, is joined by his sister Camille to continue the tradition of beautiful, natural Beaujolais wines.
The wines of Marcel Lapierre and his successors have been integral to the region's re-emergence. Long before it was fashionable to make wine organically with minimal intervention; before "Natural Winemaking" became buzz-worthy Lapierre embraced these ideals. The estate has been in the family for 4 generations, today with Mathieu and Camille at the helm. In 1973 Marcel inherited vineyards around the village of Morgon, the most famous of all the Beaujolais Crus, including a portion of the acclaimed Cote du Py. At that time he began to return the estate to more traditional "soft culture" farming techniques. In 1980 Marcel was introduced to Jules Chauvet, a winemaker and chemist in whom Marcel found a kindred spirit. Chauvet was proponent of traditional farming and minimalist winemaking omitting cultured yeast and the addition of sulphur during the winemaking process. Starting with the 1981 vintage, now working with completely organic (and impeccably farmed) vineyards, Marcel adopted Chauvet's methods. The wine is matured on fine lees for 9 months in oak barrels ranging from 3 to 13 years of age. The wines are ethereal, structured, mineral expressions of the terrior of the region and are one of the great bargains in the wine world.
[Lapierre] wines come highly recommended whether the idea of biodynamics turns you on or not - they are just great wines that are a joy to drink.
Neal Martin, July 2016
M & C Lapierre is one of the most storied estates in Beaujolais. Mathieu and Camille Lapierre are consistently producing wines at an extremely high level of quality, among the best in the region...Demand for the Lapierre wines keeps on a steady ascent, given that this is an iconic estate, in one of the best crus of a historically renowned region, and the quality of the wines is at an extremely high level.
Josh Raynolds, August 2021
Mathieu Lapierre, unofficially the coolest dude in Beaujolais, was sporting shades and a t-shirt that made him look as if he had just returned from an all-night rave somewhere around the M25 in 1989. He’s also one of the most erudite winemakers to speak to about all things Beaujolais and natural wines since his father, Marcel, was one of the movement's forefathers. Lapierre always expresses an open-mindedness that is lacking elsewhere. To that end, for many years, he has produced two cuvées of Morgon, with and without SO2. I always taste these blind, and on this occasion, I just sided with the non-sulfité iteration. His sister and co-owner, Camille, joined us briefly in the early spring sunshine. “The 2023 vintage was really hard,” he told me. “Camille was in the cellar, and I was in the vineyard. There was a lot of sunburn, and we suffered hail four times in Morgon, which bore the brunt. Consequently, yields were reduced from 65hL/ha to 40hL/ha. Some of the berries had a hard taste. I was worried about there being bad microorganisms, and I feared there might be Brettanomyces. Thankfully, there isn’t any.” Lapierre has a legion of admirers, some that have followed the Domaine since his father’s era. These are wonderful expressions of Morgon, transparent and characterful; you can choose how “natural” you want it. Readers should note that there are five bottlings planned for this year, and I specified which markets this first bottling is destined for in my tasting notes.
Neal Martin, April 2024
Domaine Lapierre needs little introduction, I'm sure, but to give a brief one: the Domaine was founded in 1959 by Camille Lapierre. Camille's son, Marcel, took over in 1973 and rapidly became the figurehead of the natural wine movement under the guidance of Jules Chauvet, working with minimal to no added SO2 and ambient yeasts under the gaze of his microscope for security. Since 2010, the namesake of the domaine has been passed down to Marcel's children, Camille and Mathieu.
Today, the domaine totals 17 hectares within the Morgon and Vin de France AOCs. Since the 1980s, the vineyards have been worked without the influence of chemical fertilizers, synthetic products and weed killers, with the domaine receiving its organic certification with Ecocert in 2004. On top of that, the siblings are working to reduce the amount of copper-sulfur sprayed in the vineyards. As expected, the wines undergo semi-carbonic macerations and ambient yeast fermentations, followed by aging in tanks and used barrels. Their approach to sulfites is not a dogmatic one, opting to use it only when the sanitary conditions waver and in minimal quantities before long-distance travel. In fact, overseas customers have the option to choose between a minimal-sulfur and a no-sulfur Morgon cuvée. Camille and Mathieu faired well in 2022, producing fresh, bright wines with the signature Lapierre spice consistent throughout.Kenna Wells, May 2024