Michel Guignier Beaujolais 2021

Too often, Beaujolais is viewed as a region for easy sippin’ without any thought needed, good fruity and fresh red wines that can be interchangeable from domaine to domaine. But Guignier’s Beaujolais are far from ordinary, and his winemaking prowess is also shoulders above most of his peers.

Guignier is a fourth generation vigneron in Ville Morgon in the heart of the Beaujolais Cru of Morgon. As he will gladly tell you, he is fortunate to work with extremely old vines for the region (up to 75 years old) and every single one is tended by hand. These wines are just bright and enjoyable wines to drink but they’re also pure, soil-driven beauties that are amongst the very best made in the region each year.

Of course the New York Times’ Eric Asimov is all over it – featuring his entry-level Beaujolais in his 20 under $20 ‘Finding Bargains Amid Inflation’ feature, declaring that the wine “rises above the potential of the straightforward Beaujolais appellation”. He also called out “unexpected depth” which speaks volumes (no pun intended) to what Guignier’s savvy old-vines yield.

Unsurprisingly, the hardest working wine critic also got his hands on this one, giving a 90-point rave review in which he calls out the ‘balance of fresh and ripe elements’. All of this for a wine that checks in for under $20! A steal in Southern Burgundy.