Opening a bottle of Morgon from Domaine Chamonard is always a precious moment. Jean-Claude Chanudet’s wines are always fairly rich and full, yet beaming with earthy acidity and balance - flowers, violets, hints of iron and velvety beauty. From 4 hectares of vines averaging 60 years old, mainly from the best parcels of les Martillets, Chenes and Corcelette and the grapes are hand-harvested in late - October to maximize ripeness and in order to make an intensive selection of only the best fruit. The results of all of this effort is in the bottle, you just need to pull the cork to see for yourself. Bottled with a little, sometimes, to no sulphites if the conditions allow.
DOMAINE JOSEPH CHAMONARD, JEAN-CLAUDE CHANUDET, Corcelette
Having lived and worked among the ‘superstars’ of Beaujolais, Joseph Chamonard created a wonderful environment for his vines on the hills of Morgon, they have been tended without chemical assistance for over 40 years, remaining in their natural living soils. Sadly, Joseph passed away in 1990, leaving his daughter Genevieve and her husband Jean-Claude Chanudet to carry on with his 4.5-hectare vineyard, located in Corcelette, near the town of Ville-Morgon.
Jean-Claude Chanudet has now become one of the movers and shakers in the natural wine world of Beaujolais. He follows a similar philosophy to the greats of his region: he interferes as little as possible in both the vineyard and the cellar, refraining from the use of harmful, inorganic chemicals and additives. Only indigenous yeasts are used in the cellar, and a long, slow carbonic maceration gives the suppleness and softness for which Chanudet’s cuvées have become known. While not certified organic, Chanudet follows the same practices to a tee, stating that it is not up to the organic winemakers to write “Organic wine” on their labels, but rather to the others to indicate “Chemically-produced wine.” Chanudet’s wines are intense and structured and are built for ageing.
In 2020, Jean-Claude and Geneviève Chanudet have been joined by their daughter Jeanne.