Domaine Lapierre - Marcel Lapierre

Marcel Lapierre, the historic estate of Beaujolais and natural wine

Marcel Lapierre's estate is an entity in the world of natural wine. Recognized worldwide today, this emblematic estate of Morgon owes its reputation thanks to the work of Marcel Lapierre in the early 80s.

The wines of the Marcel Lapierre estate in Villié-Morgon

It all started in 1973 when Marcel Lapierre, from the 3rd Lapierre generation, took over the estate in Villié-Morgon, in Beaujolais. Graduated from a Bachelor Viti-Oeno in Beaune, he began to vinify with what he learned at school. Use of chemicals, chaptalisation, acidification, sulfur, etc. Marcel Lapierre follows the recipes but quickly notices that the wines do not have the same flavor as those of his father and grandfather. He therefore approached Jules Chauvet in the early 80s, a wine merchant based in the Chapelle de Guinchay in Beaujolais. But also oenologist and researcher at the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO). He also created the famous INAO glass, the universal tasting glass.
Together they will work on carbonic maceration, known in Beaujolais to extract fruity and gourmet wines. Studying microbiology, natural yeasts... Better understanding what lactic sting is in order to avoid it and be able to produce wines without input. The work begins in the vineyard, because without healthy and healthy grapes, can produce wines without chemistry and therefore called “natural”.

Restore the image of Beaujolais

Marcel Lapierre will then gather other winegrowers around him.
The first will be his neighbor, Jean-Paul Thévenet (known as Paul Po), then Guy Breton (P'tit Max), Jean Foillard, Georges Descombes (Le Noun), Yvon Métras, Jean-Claude Chanudet (Le Chat), Robert De Nogent, etc… Together they will develop natural wines and launch a revolution in Paris and elsewhere in France. Together, they will raise the point for a culture without chemistry, healthy wines in a generation where the trend is rather towards mass consumption and Beaujolais mass, with the particular taste of banana because of this famous 71B yeast .

Transmission and new generation

Suffering from cancer, Marcel left the day after the last harvest of 2010, leaving behind him a historic trace in the world of wine and natural wine. A movement was born partly thanks to him and a new generation is now launched towards cleaner agriculture and wines with little or no input.
Today it is his children, Camille and Mathieu Lapierre who are at the head of the estate. A perfectly managed transition that Marcel Lapierre could be proud of. His son, Mathieu Lapierre, returned to the estate in 2004 after a career as a chef around the world and, among others, at Eric Frechon's Bristol. He was able to vinify and learn alongside his father for 6 years. Then Camille Lapierre returned to the estate in 2013 after working as a sommelier. She manages almost all of the vinifications now, with her sensitivity, but also with a significant heritage of her own culture, of fine, straightforward and sincere wines left by her father.

The wines of Domaine Marcel Lapierre

The Lapierre estate produces wines from Gamay from the Morgon appellation, but also a Beaujolais bottle by purchasing grapes. The Morgon bottle comes from the estate's old vines, partly on the Côte du Py. The Camille bottle, in homage to the grandfather, comes from the Roche du Py, granite soils on the Py coast. A wine of incredible elegance and finesse with a bewitching fragrance. Finally, the ML bottle, in homage this time to Marcel Lapierre, only sees the light of day for great vintages.
The wines of Domaine Lapierre offer a remarkable complexity. They are dense, elegant and fine, they offer a pure fruitiness, of great indulgence. This is why they are affordable in their youth but can also stand the test of time, and gain even more aromatic complexity. Wines with a great soul that we never cease to appreciate! At Epi-curieux.com, we are lucky to have access to wines from the last bottling of the year and to the sulfur-free bottle of Morgon (in 75 cl) for even more pleasure and emotions.
To discover or rediscover for lovers of natural wines and history!