Four From the Gang of Four

by James Robinson, Your Co-op Sommelier

‘If Burgundy is Pablo Neruda, then Cru Beaujolais is Jason Derulo.’

The wines:

Guy Breton Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2019 $47.99

Jean Foillard Beaujolais Villages 2018 $24.99

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2018 $39.99

Jean-Paul Thèvenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2017 $31.99

There is a notion in the wine world that goes something like this: Sommeliers, because they are trained to taste and assess fancy wine, probably only drink fancy wines themselves.

While I’m sure everyone, not just somms, would enjoy drinking fancy bottles everyday, the truth is, somms, just like everyone else, are always searching for the best bottle for the least amount of money. It’s how we keep beverage programs afloat, cellars stocked and our options interesting.

Enter Cru Beaujolais.

Although Cru Beaujolais has long lived in the shadow of Burgundy, its northern neighbor, it has also long been the darling of somms and for good reason – high acid, low alcohol, über food friendly, super quaffable wines that drink far beyond their price point. They are typically vibrant, plush, sexy and don’t require aging. And isn’t that what we’re all after, delicious, super drinkable, quality wines that resonate with style and a sense of place?

For those unfamiliar with Cru Beaujolais, make no mistake, this is not Beaujolais Nouveau – the fizzy, bumble gum and banana peel plonk, mass marketed to Americans every year during the third week of November. On the contrary, ‘Cru Beaujolais,’ although made from the same grape – Gamay Noir – indicates wine from one of 10 designated Beaujolais ‘crus’ or villages. From north to south the villages are: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. And while Cru Beaujolais should never be confused with Beaujolais Nouveau, it will also never hold the same stature as Burgundy. If Burgundy is Pablo Neruda, then Cru Beaujolais is Jason Derulo.

Nevertheless, and while the Beaujolais crus are now notable for quality winemaking, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, because of developments over the last five decades, the crus now hold a special place of historic, vinicultural significance, for it was in the Beaujolais crus, led by Guy Breton, Jules Chauvet, Jean Foillard, Marcel Lapierre and Jean-Paul Thèvenet that the French natural wine movement was born.

In the French wine world of the 1950s, Chauvet – a winemaker, researcher, taster, chemist and viticultural prophet – led a vanguard of winemakers calling for revolution in French winemaking. Faced with the advent of factory farming, chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, Chauvet and his peers, Breton, Foillard, Lapierre and Thèvenet championed ‘natural wine,’ and urged their fellow vignerons to eschew the ‘modern’ methods and return to traditional Beaujolais winemaking techniques.

These ‘rebels’ – dubbed the ‘Gang of Four’ by the legendary importer Kermit Lynch – specifically called for a return to quintessential and traditional Beaujolais practices of viticulture and vinification: always start with old vines, never use synthetic herbicides or pesticides, harvest late, rigorously sort to remove all but the healthiest grapes, add minimal doses of sulfur dioxide or none at all, and never chaptalize. Over the decades, those principles have expanded to include biodynamic and organic farming and vineyard management.

To say that ‘Gang of Four’ wines are coveted would be and understatement. In fact, beyond being coveted, they are difficult to find, but fortunes have changed for co-op members.

For those keen to taste delicious wines of historic significance from the birthplace of the French natural wine movement, look no further than Aisle 5. Our shelves currently feature ‘Four from the Gang of Four:’

Guy Breton’s Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2019, Jean Foillard’s Beaujolais Villages 2018,

Marcel Lapierre’s Morgon 2018 and Jean-Paul Thèvenet’s Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2017.

While all Beaujolais can be drunk young, Morgon wines also boast the best aging potential of the all the Beaujolais crus. In fact, Morgon from stellar producers can be cellared for five to 10 years, as long as cellar conditions remain optimal.

Morgon pairs well with robust, powerfully flavored foods -- including heavy proteins – and can also work well with pork and poultry. Morgon pairs equally well with many cheeses, including, Camembert, Brie, Brillat-Savarin, Munster, Saint-Marcellin, Neufchâtel or even Livarot, many of which are available at the store.

Morgon wines – full-bodied and robust – have established themselves as flagship wines in the Beaujolais region. They intensely and uniquely express the terroir that produces them; pair well with a wide variety of foods and cheeses and can even be cellared for a special occasion.