Les Charmes - Aux Pillets Morgon Gamay

Great purity and sweetness of fruit on the nose. Perfectly ripe dark cherry with a granitic mineral overlay. Hits the palate with a nice whack of that pure fruit, nicely concentrated. In the back half of the palate some less-than-soft tannins hit, along with a bitter note on the slightly clenched close. Maybe needs a year or two to settle down.

(After writing this note, I discovered I’d drunk one of these, with similar notes, only a couple of months ago. Had I realized this, I would have let this sleep another couple of years! My memory must be slipping!)

Very fruity nose gives up sweet, vibrant, almost confectionery, cherry and raspberry. There is some crushed stone in the background. In the mouth, however, there is a certain harshness, with an initial note that is almost like an eau-de-vie thing, and some astringency accompanying some chalky tannin. I know the 2022 vintage is rated highly for Beaujolais, but there was record-setting heat, and I worry that this sort of inelegant astringency will become the norm of these global warming years.