Marcel Lapierre 'Raisins Gaulois' Vin de France 2024

In Short

A bright, juicy Gamay from Beaujolais with cherry and strawberry that drinks like a natural wine should: fresh, lightly tannic, and alive.

Quick Facts

• Region: Beaujolais, France
• Variety: Gamay
• Style: Light-bodied natural red
• Best For: Casual drinking, chilled in warm weather

Why We Stock It

Marcel Lapierre makes some of the most balanced natural wines coming out of Beaujolais, and this bottling sits right at the approachable end of that range. It is the kind of wine that tastes like itself rather than like an experiment, with real freshness and minimal intervention that lets the fruit speak without pretension. At this price it offers a genuine alternative to conventionally made reds at the same cost.

Tasting Profile

This is a wine built on brightness and balance rather than weight.

• Aroma: Cherry, strawberry, subtle florals and minerals
• Palate: Fresh, juicy, silky tannins with lively acidity
• Structure & Finish: Light body, clean finish with lingering red fruit and earthiness

Winemaking

The wine is made with minimal intervention in the cellar. Fermentation is natural, allowing wild yeasts to work through the fruit without added sulfites or other technical adjustments. The result is a wine that keeps its tension and clarity rather than settling into softness.

Serving & Pairing

Serve at 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly cool but not cold. It needs no decanting. Pair it with charcuterie and cheese, or with a simple roast chicken where the acidity cuts through the richness. It is equally at home with grilled sausages or eaten on its own at a picnic, which is really the point of a wine this unpretentious.

The Estate

Marcel Lapierre is a small grower in Chers, at the southern edge of Beaujolais, known for farming organically and making wine with minimal use of additives. The estate has been in the family for generations and remains a careful, unhurried operation.

Terroir

Chers sits in the granite hills of southern Beaujolais, where the soil is thin and mineral-rich. The cooler climate here gives Gamay more acidity and finesse than it would have further north, and the granite bedrock comes through as a dry, stony note on the finish. Wines from this part of the region tend toward brightness and structure rather than body.