2020 Beaujolais

2020 Morgon Vieilles Vignes, Guy Breton Dry | Red | Still | 13%

This is the flagship wine of the domaine. It comes from 90-year-old vines, and shows a charming combination of energy and unforced concentration, with persistence and a light lift of reduction. At 13.5% it is perfectly balanced. This is a wine with so much life, and a great example of the Guy Breton style that has earned him such a following.

Ready: 2022 - 2030

2020 Côte de Brouilly, Guy Breton Magnum Dry | Red | Still | 14%

Unlike the rest of the Breton range which is grown on granitic soils, this comes from the famous pierre bleue soils of Mont Brouilly. The parcel is actually owned by good friend, and Lay & Wheeler favourite, Jean-Claude Lapalu. J-C looks after the vines during the year, and he and Breton pick the parcel on the same day, with Breton buying half the grapes. The wines the two men make couldn’t be more different in style. This version is lightly scented with ripe strawberries and cinnamon. There’s a little light grip from some fine tannins that are woven through the symphony of sweet red fruits. It is a delicious expression of Beaujolais, one with some gentle body and sweet ripeness, but no heaviness at all.

Ready: 2022 - 2028

2020 Morgon P'Tit Max, Guy Breton Dry | Red | Still | 13%

This is Guy Breton’s top cuvée, and is given his nickname, P’tit Max, which he has been called since childhood after his father. The wine comes from a parcel of low yielding 130-year-old vines. He says that rather than being bigger or oakier than the rest of his wines (as top cuvées at other addresses can be), it instead has a level of finesse that sets it apart. This 2020 is so intense, with juicy finesse and perfectly formed silky tannins. There is mineral depth to the fruit, and the wine already tastes delicious at this early stage. A tasting of the 2009 alongside it convinced me further of this wine’s brilliant ageing potential. Don’t be afraid to cellar this with confidence.

Ready: 2022 - 2035