Guy Breton Beaujolais-Villages "Cuvée Marylou" 2024

Breton’s Marylou exemplifies all that is right with Beaujolais. Easy on the eyes (just look at that vibrant color!), easy on the head (alcohol and sulfur circumscribed), easy enough on the wallet (this is Guy Breton, living legend, after all!), and full steam ahead on the joy of it all.

Sourced from the Saint Joseph and Grand Cras subzones of the appellation, about 500 meters from Breton's Morgon vines. Only indigenous yeasts are used. 100% whole-cluster fermentation. Short macerations in tank; length of maceration is determined by tasting. Grapes are pressed and racked to barrel before the end of fermentation. Tiny doses of sulfur added during élevage and at bottling. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wine is named after Marylou, Guy Breton’s daughter.

Guy Breton is a legendary natural winemaker from Beaujolais, one of the founding fathers of the whole natural wine movement and instrumental in increasing the quality of Beaujolais overall. Guy took over from his grandfather in 1986, which had until then been selling fruit to a large cooperative. Breton wanted to revitalize the reputation of Beaujolais, focusing on using native yeasts, minimal intervention in the cellar, no herbicides or pesticides in the vineyard, and really letting the terroir speak for itself. One of Kermit Lynch’s "Gang of 4" producers, Breton typically produced the lightest-bodied and most finesse-driven wines of the four.