Guy Breton Morgan Vieilles Vieilles Vignes 2022
The Wine
Guy’s principal wine, the Morgon “Vieilles Vignes” is sourced from the Saint Joseph and Grand Cras subzones of the appellation, which give fine, stony wines. A high-lying sandy parcel contributes more complexity, structure, and acidity to the blend.
Following the example of traditionalist Jules Chauvet, Guy Breton and three other local vignerons, Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Jean Foillard, soon hoisted the flag of this back-to-nature movement. Kermit Lynch dubbed this clan the Gang of Four, and the name has stuck ever since. The Gang called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification: starting with old vines, never using synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvesting late, rigorously sorting to remove all but the healthiest grapes, adding minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and refusing both chaptalization and filtration. The end result allows Morgon to express itself naturally: rustic, spicy, loaded with schist minerals and at the same time, refreshing and deep-down delicious.
Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Breton loves wines that are easy to drink, and his are typically the lightest in color, the lowest in alcohol, and the least tannic of the Gang of Four Morgons. Breton’s wines open up beautifully with time; the Morgon has a track record of long aging.
ON THE 2019 : 96 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - Old vines from one of the so-called ‘Gang of Four’, which included Marcel Lapierre, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Jean Foillard, so from that, you may understand the ethos and style of his wines. Cherry and spiced strawberry, something of a ginger biscuit character, dried roses and a smattering of sweet herb. Fine and precise, a rain on pebbles sort of mineral feel, loose with pleasure, but tight and controlled, in a way. Finish is long, fresh, and again stony. It’s a beautiful expression of Morgon. Beautiful. So lucid.
The Details
Variety - Gamay
Country - France
Region - Beaujolais
Sub Region - Morgan
Extra - Cork
Year - 2022
Volume - 750ml
