Legends are made in Beaujolais, and I firmly believe Anthony Thévenet is about to be next. Ask any “Bojo” diehard and Anthony’s name will be whispered in the same hushed tones as genre-defining producers like Métras and Lapierre. Anthony’s 2020 Morgon is the perfect summation of why that is: This is next-level Cru Beaujolais, an epic bottle that pushes the region’s signature high-toned fruit into the stratosphere of Burgundian nuance.
Laden with wild red fruit tones, gorgeous florals, and seamless, melt-in-the-mouth textures, it pulls off every trick in the Beaujolais playbook by combining cookout-friendly joy and Michelin-tier seriousness. Cru bottlings this good typically disappear into cellars, but here’s a rare chance to experience some of the best Beaujolais has to offer. This will be downright profound in 1-2 years, but it’ll be a genuine challenge keeping your hands off it in the meantime!
BONUS: Click here to also secure 1-3 bottles of Thévenet’s glorious, old-vine “Cuvée Julia.”
There’s no official hierarchy of Beaujolais’ 10 crus, but any aficionado knows that Morgon lives in the uppermost tier. It’s here where the sometimes simple Gamay takes on plush, earthy depths that propel it to the top of every sommelier’s list. In fact, “Morgon” has come to be more than a place name; if a bottle is able to age and develop more complexity, Beaujolais winemakers say il morgonne (“it Morgons”). Anthony’s holdings here are focused on two lieux-dits, Douby and Courcelette. Other producers bottle these legendary sites on their own (and charge a pretty penny), but Anthony happily blends them into one seamless cuvée. The site’s iron-rich sands and rocky granite perfectly complement one another, the sand providing high-toned lift and the granite a deep mineral core.
Who better to anoint the future legend of Beaujolais than the current legends themselves? Anthony cut his teeth working for the icons Jean Foillard and Georges Descombes. He now counts cult figures like Jean-Louis Dutraive and Yvon Métras among his admirers, and he’s gotten to this point by sheer determination and hard work. Anthony took over the family vineyards after his grandfather passed away, and immediately converted them to organic viticulture. He and his father, Guy, perform every farming task themselves, with just the help of a tiny tractor. Once in the cellar, Anthony employs the traditional Beaujolais technique of carbonic fermentation, putting whole bunches into cement vats and essentially walking away. The carbonic method amplifies the aromas and lightens the texture, while a three-week maceration with the stems adds spicy complexity and builds structure. Only a tiny dollop of sulfur is used at bottling, a security measure to ensure the wines’ soundness when traveling overseas.
I suggest treating this as you would great light-bodied red. Serve it in a Burgundy stem slightly chilled to 55-60 degrees, and give it about a half-hour of air before really digging in. In the glass, a deep ruby core fades to a pink rim. The nose sucks you in with simultaneous charm and vigor, emitting boisterous crushed raspberry, strawberry, sweet cherry, and purple flowers alongside pink peppercorn and warm cinnamon spice. The palate is generous, soft, and open before a wash of mouthwatering acidity lifts the finish. Earthy underbrush and cherry pit fruit are in perfect balance now, and as the wine spends time in your cellar, the scales will tip into forest floor and mushroom tones. Stash plenty away for future enjoyment, but be sure to have a few bottles on hand for immediate pleasure, too!
