The Ultimate Beaujolais . . .or is it? AKA Marcel Lapierre, Russian Roulette Master

So I was very excited to taste the 2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon "MMVII", as it has been getting rave reviews around geek circles. Retailers sending out e-mails touting this rare wine, it appearing on wine list, and much talk on the vino internet about this wine from a master of Beaujoais. I don't know if I'd call him a master. I'll apologize to the Marcel Lapierre sycophants first before I continue. Sorry. As a friend said drinking Marcel Lapierre Morgons is like playing Russian Roulette, and it really is true. I've had mind-numbing bottles of Lapierre. The '99 comes to mind. The '06 recently was delicious. Had miserable bottles of the '05, '04, '03, '01 and '98. There are some who say don't drink Lapierre young. But I've had some young delicious Lapierre. Notably the '02. The '05 is a confounding bottle as it was off and on when it was a youngster. Like a moody cat. The main problem with Lapierre wines is when they are off, they are hot. Make no mistake about it, when compared to other Beaujolais, Lapierre wines are very alcohol driven, which is not a bad thing if done right. Clemens Busch in Germany is a great example of an alcohol driven winery doing it right. Sometimes Lapierre hits a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth while trailing by two runs and sometimes he hits a dribbler to first while down 12-0 to a power pitcher in the eighth inning. So let's get to this wine and see what the story is.

Has some holy wine credentials here. The top of it's price-point for it's category is a hard flame to carry. We've got 100 year old vines. Some are older. Most is sourced from the Cote de Py, the best spot in Morgon, and he also has added sulfur. How much? I am not sure but more than his normal cuvee. Also this is the first vintage Kermit Lynch has imported into the US. Or maybe this is the first vintage of the wine? Some help here from you naturalistas out there would be great. Anyway it's the first time the wine has hit US shores. So there is big-time geek cred here, almost hype. This is the Lebron James, Stephen Strasbourg and Sidney Crosby of Beaujolais all rolled into one. So did it live up to it's enormous hype? No. Of course not. Barely anything does, and this wine does not. Day 1 it was utterly miserable wine. Super-hot, cough drop fruit, and all acid for the texture. Very diffuse and a barely existent nose of some kirsch and ethanol. No earth or mineral scents at all. It just got more closed as the night continued. Right at the end of the night it showed a bit of promise. It seemed to snap into shape and wink at you with it's hinting structure and texture. It became more streamlined but still I could not pass full judgement as this is a new wine from very old vines and had some sulfur in it, so on day 2 and day 3 it could turn from an ugly duckling to a swan. So here I am after the wine has been open roughly 25 hours. It is the wines 25th hour before judgement is partially passed. As an aside 25th Hour is the best Spike Lee movie since Do The Right Thing and should be seen by all serious Spike Lee fans. I know he sucked balls forever but he still had one more good one in him with 25th hour. Back to the tasting impression. The nose is much more Pinot-like on day 2. Morey-like. Dusty, spicey, minty, red fruits and pretty nice. A large improvement over yesterday's horror show. There is still a touch of over-ripeness that I don't find appealing at this point. Hopefully that will be gone tomorrow. The palate is elegant, with some warmth peeking out the edges and hitting you on the finish pretty hard. The fruit is pretty monotone and blends well with the weak earth/mineral notes. Heat is still very much a factor, but not THE factor. Still takes away from the wine. I mean this is 14% Beaujolais!! It just sounds wrong. I'll reserve judgement until tomorrow but right now this wine seems like a hose. Rarity does not always make for a good vinous experience, especially when dealing with Russian Roulette Beaujolais-master Marcel Lapierre.