2018 Piron Beaujolais-Villages

Maison Piron

France / Beaujolais / Maison Piron

The vines for Piron's Beaujolais-Villages surround the crus on the hills of the northern half of Beaujolais. They mostly have an east-facing exposition and have sandy granitic soils comprising small stones that store the sun's heat and then release it gently during the night. This helps conserve the natural freshness of the fruit. These vines at 50 years old on average.
100% Gamay grapes are harvested by hand, selected on a sorting table, and given a very gentle, partial destemming before semi-carbonic fermentation takes place in cement and stainless steel. The fermentation never lasts longer than 8-10 days in order to preserve freshness.

October, 2020

Angus Hughson

Gourmet Traveller WINE

92 points

This is a serious attempt at Beaujolais Villages where plenty of effort has been made to craft a wine that tops many Cru Beaujolais. It is a pretty and complex style - concentrated mineral elements with meat and spice sit over raspberry and floral aromas. The palate is more dense and rustic than expected, with ripe dark berry fruits and it finishes with good length. Drinks well now but has the stuffing to improve over the next five years.

October, 2019

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

90 points

They seem to have had a string of good vintages in Beaujolais, and I think I like the playful and fruity 2018s quite a lot.
Fresh, raspberry and cherry, floral perfume. It’s light and juicy, but sports a bit of ‘mineral’ stuff and fine dusty tannin to keep it on the straight and narrow. Finish is fresh. It’s easy to like.

January, 2020

Jeremy Oliver

Gourmet Traveller WINE

Scented with violets, raspberry and dark cherry with undertones of spice, clove and liquorice, this smooth and generous young Beaujolais reveals a faintly candied, brûléed aspect. It's steeped in brightly lit red and black berry/cherry flavour, extending long and smooth over a fine, dusty spine towards a soft but focused and lively finish. A delicious wine that shows just how far this region has improved over the past 20 years or so at village level.

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About Maison Piron

The Piron family's history in Beaujolais spans more than four centuries, with its oldest known forebear born in Morgon in 1590. Since then, there have been 14 generations of winegrowers in the family. The domaine joined the portfolio with Dominique Piron in charge alongside Lantignié-born Julien Revillon. Together they realised a goal of raising characterful terroir wines that are fruity, subtle and elegant from sloping vineyards of fragmented granite and schist. They display depth, freshness and verve, with terroir-specific differences between the various crus - and Maison Piron's holdings across the best vineyards are second to none.

About

Julien Revillon was born in Lantignié, the village tipped to become the 11th cru of Beaujolais. He traces his vigneron vocation through family roots as winegrowers in Saint-Amour, his sommelier uncle as well as his grandfather, a starred chef in Belleville in the 1970s. Julien returned to the vineyards after a detour in finance where he looked after, of course, the accounts of winegrowers. After working at Jean-Luc Colombo in Cornas, he wanted to get even closer to his Beaujolais origins. In 2013, he joined forces with 14th-generation grower Dominique Piron. Their shared vision ensured that these wines celebrated the myriad charms of Gamay and the nuanced soils of the region's best vineyards. With Julien at the helm, this estate honours tradition alongside an open-minded dynamism that ensures it delivers all the joys of Beaujolais to its worldwide fans.