Morgon Château Gaillard

2022
France
Beaujolais

100% Gamay. Château Gaillard is a lieu-dit in the NE corner of Morgon in the climat of Douby, along the Fleurie border. Desvignes used to include this 1.03-hectare plot of 80-year-old, south-facing vines in their entry-level "La Voûte Saint-Vincent", but its strong old-vine character warranted its separation starting in 2020. The vines are planted on sandy granite soils, are certified-organic and harvested by hand. The bunches are mainly left whole, with about 10% destemming, and placed into closed concrete vats for a partly carbonic fermentation; maceration is about 10 days with a submerged cap and no punchdowns. A very small amount of sulfur is added after malo (and sometimes at bottling). The wine is aged in cement tank for 7 months in 30-hectoliter concrete egg and bottled with a light, non-sterile filtration.

 

92 points
"The 2022 Morgon Château Gaillard is named after the lieu-dit (there is no château there), a single hectare on sandy soils, aged in 30-hectolitre concrete eggs. Redcurrant, raspberry coulis and blueberry scents blossom on the nose - very pure and well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and touches of graphite. There's firm grip with a lot of substance on the finish. This should age supremely well."
Neal Martin,
Vinous Media
March 2023
93+ points
"Desvignes The very old vine bottling of Morgon “Château Gaillard” from Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes is simply outstanding in 2022. The wine comes in at a very typical 13.5 percent alcohol in this vintage and delivers a deep and youthfully complex aromatic constellation of black cherries, 63 dark berries, a touch of sweet cranberry, vinesmoke, pigeon, a gentle array of sweet herb tones, woodsmoke and granitic minerality. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a beautiful core of fruit, superb mineral drive and grip, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a long, tangy and very, very promising finish. This is a classic young Morgon from a great vintage, which means it starts out life plenty structured and will require some patience to let it lie fallow in the cellar for a handful of years and allow its tannins to soften up. In due course, it will be superb juice. 2032-2075+. "
John Gilman,
View From The Cellar
January 2024

SKU/Code: 
DB3304-22
Product Line: 
Wine
Red
Varietal: 
Gamay
Farming Type: 
Organic