This week, a wine that’s almost too drinkable. The Lapierre Raisins Gaulois 2011 ($17.65 at SAQ) is the kind of bottle that empties amazingly quickly, before you’ve had the chance to finish your meal, or maybe before you’ve even started. The opposite of a vin de méditation (thinking wine), it’s a vin de soif (thirst-quenching wine). A wine that’s well suited to a park and a picnic table. Don’t think too much about it, just drink and enjoy.
If you’re familiar with the natural wine movement, Marcel Lapierre perhaps needs no introduction. He is known not only for his pioneering role in the natural wine movement, but also for his part in reestablishing the reputation of Beaujolais wine. However, we could take the M in the “M. Lapierre” on this bottle to stand for Mathieu, Marcel’s son, who has taken over the domaine since his father passed away in 2010.
This is Lapierre’s entry-level offering, made from the youngest of their Gamay vines. Since there’s no longer a Vin de Pays designation in Beaujolais, it is simply labeled Vin de France. Extremely juicy, it’s bursting with fruit, full of fresh cherries and raspberries, with just a hint of spice and bitterness on the finish. Very smooth, it goes down easy. Simple.
This is not a wine for ageing; it’s meant to be drunk young and fresh. Unfortunately for us in Quebec, the SAQ is selling out at rapid pace. Let’s hope more comes in soon!
