Domaine J. Chamonard, Morgon, Le Clos de Lys

Day 1 - Clear Medium-dark ruby color. Restrained nose consisting of blackberry, dark plum, and red hawthorn candy. The mouth confirms the nose, good concentration of fruit noted above with rather dry medium tannins and sharp linear acidity. There is an additional medicinal touch of Chinese dried/picked plum (meigan) and old leather. Aftertaste is more pronounced in the mouth rather than nose. If blind, I would have guessed an indigenous Italian red, more specifically Aosta Fumin or Pelaverga. Nothing bad, …

2018 vintage

Excellent at this age. Good blackcurrant and plum notes. Alongside some fennel seed aromas. Good structure and very well integrated oak. Very smooth and balanced.

2015 vintage

Served by Pierre Overnoy at his house. He was very enthusiastic about this, and it shows why. Really beautiful fresh red fruits and a touch of cream. Slight sous bois hiding beneath. Really showing well here at 10 years of age.

2015 vintage

Flüchtig, blumig und nice laktisch. Mit Erdbeere, Kirsche, Kräuterbund, Pfeffer und Eisen. Am Gaumen frisch, saftig und sahnig. Charmant dreckig auch, mit Würze, dominanter Kirsche und lebendiger Säure. Hat ordentlich Zug, ist mega mundwässernd und entwickelt nach hinten raus einen herrlich sanften Grip. Für meinen Geschmack die ganz große Freude und ideale Wahl für gesellige Abende.

2018 vintage

Plummy and sweet raisined fruit, high in alcohol so I guessed southern Rhone. Awful Beaujolais.

2018 vintage

Initially sweet on the nose and palate. After a while, it turned sharply acidic. Not the best showing

2018 vintage

In contrast to my previous bottle that I drank 3 years ago, this one is not only over the hill but also has a nontrivial and distracting amount of VA. I think it was also extremely reductive on opening. That resolved on day 2 but all the fruit is gone.

2010 vintage

Felt a bit flat on first open, but over night and then second night came into its own. Lovely raspberry notes, plus something a bit smoky and mineral. Silky tannins.

2018 vintage

3rd of 3 bottles purchased. First two were cloudy and swampy, but this bottle was perfect. Very pale burnished red. Full tertiary and delicate, all potpourri and tea notes with a long finish.

1997 vintage

Seems towards the darker end of fruits to me: Plum. Cherry (red and black) and a touch of blackberry. Nicely spiced at the end: cinnamon, nutmeg and a whiff of vanilla - all light and nicely integrated. Good freshness and light tannin grip (for gamay). Unmistakable Beaujolais, but definitely serious. Really liked it.

2018 vintage

Corked

2011 vintage

Way past its prime though perhaps it wasn’t stored properly at some point. Based on the few sips I took, not tannic or structured enough for significant aging.

1997 vintage

2018 was a hot bojo year with varying reports. I have to say it suits this wine down to the ground, absolute silk.

2018 vintage

Among my first case of wine to cellar from ten years or so ago. Oh boy, thank you younger me. Stunningly fine beauj with the delicacy of a burg but the wildness of loire cab franc. Deep spicy raspberry coulis, rosemary and fresh thyme, chanterelle aromatics. Exactly the type of wine I love.

2010 vintage

fine expresson

2011 vintage

Some wines have beguiling aromas, and others delight one’s palate, and even fewer do both. But no wine is better than the wine that captures your heart. I was first introduced to the ’97 Chamonard Morgon Le Clos de Lys by a sommelier in Paris in 2018. I had asked for a wine with ample bottle age, that I might enjoy with charcuterie and cheese. Adding to the challenge, I noted that I didn’t have a fortune to spend, nor …

1997 vintage

Le vin dégage un parfum de baies noires juteuses, de bleuets écrasés, de fleurs mauves et de pierre concassée. En bouche, attaque fruitée, bonne densité, on sent le millésime chaud mais ça reste frais et porté par une belle acidité. Le niveau d'alcool reste contenu également. En milieu de bouche, l'amplitude est presque déconcertante, c'est vineux et s'étire en paliers de saveurs... les baies juteuses fleurtent avec les fleurs et la réglisse... Une gourmandise!! Parfaitement à point et véritable coup …

2015 vintage

Past its prime: old and tired, sad to say.

1997 vintage

Exotic spice aromatics, sandalwood and rose petals. Color is translucent garnet with some bricking. Palate is delicate, with some red berries and a bit of citrus. Fading but remains elegant and enjoyable.

1997 vintage

Not tired at all. Mature aroma with ripe plum and a hint of spice. Fresh balate with black fruits, herbs and a bit of earth/sous-bois.

1997 vintage

Decanted three hours prior to event to filter out the substantial fine sediment. Pale dull orange-y color. Great nose with notes of cocoa and oolong tea. Drinks well--fully mature but with good acidity, and not tired.

1997 vintage

Cinnamon wafts out of the glass immediately; touch of earth, barnyard, and herbs underneath. Palate is red fruit, crisp, cranberry and strawberry. I adore this wine.

1997 vintage

By the bottle at Le Clown Bar in Paris. Nose is a muted version of the typical Beaujolais nose: ripe plums, black cherries and crushed limestone. Palate is still lively and acidic after 20+ years with more ripe black fruits and a woody, thyme note and minerality out the wazoo on the medium-long finish. Pair with roast pigeon (or duck if you are not a hunter) and root vegetables.

1997 vintage

Murky light medium red with pink edges. It opens with a celery see and pine nose with almost no fruit. Then nice notes of cherry, rose, and leather comes through. Balanced cherry and leather flavours and a very nice cherry finish. Morgon over 20 years old, and still shows life. Decant.

1997 vintage

After reading Alex's notes I went on the hunt and found a few bottles in San Francisco. Savage celery nose and the rest was swamp water.

1997 vintage

Served this blind, and I had intended for it to be earlier in the lineup. Delicious as this is, it of course seemed short following '85 Richebourg and '02 Amoureuses. Then again, I found myself going back to this glass quite happily.

1997 vintage

Nice blend of fruit, not too ripe, some old wood and VA edges, matte textured with some tannins that fill the mouth. Good but not inspiring A little pricey for what it is

2015 vintage

@Restaurang Hantverket, Stockholm, Sweden No formal notes, still some fresh fruit, acidity and chalky tannins. In a very good shape right now but would not cellar any longer. A perfect match to the owen baked celeriac with almond, confit onion,hollandaise sauce and browned butter.

1997 vintage

I've had this wine 4 times now, twice in Paris and twice in the US. I refrained from writing any notes about it because I wanted to make sure it was "that good" before I cornered the market on it. My cellars are stocked and so I can be honest: this is a seriously delicious Red Burgundy experience at a modest Beaujolais price. The spice is epic, glorious aromas. When I served it blind to a friend, his first comment …

1997 vintage

Classic lactic berry Beaujo nose, some sweetness to the fruit on the palate that's well balanced by good acidity and a little grip. Nothing incredible, just very drinkable. Tad pricey for what it is

2015 vintage

100% Gamay Faded red cherry color, widened rim, opaque core, unfiltered. Straightaway without any air, this offered up floral aromatics of rose petal and jasmine. Also wonderful lychee scent, orange zest, candied strawberry compote, sous bois. Later on, it gave up blue flowers, particularly violet and lavender. The palate is well integrated. Med plus acidity, slightest traces of tannic structure, definitely felt less than the professed 12.5 abv. Cranberry, tangerine, grapefruit. It took about an hour to flesh out and …

1997 vintage

PnP at Californios. Lovely and still fresh. Mature but has at least 5 years. 12.5%

1997 vintage

Oui je bois encore ! Un 2015 qui n'est pas lourd du tout.Sur la cerise et les bleuets et un côté très floral (violette).Ça se boit très bien sur deux jours.Longueur moyenne mais en bouche c'est délicieux. 90 pts

2015 vintage

Cherries, red berries, and some baking spices on the nose. Light on the palate with good acidity and orange and more red berries. Good finish.

1997 vintage

Ce Morgon du Domaine Chamonard présente une robe opaque, très foncée et de couleur rubis avec un peu de teintes violacées sur le pourtour. Le premier nez est aromatique sur une explosion de petits fruits des champs mûrs (fraises, bleuets), de fleurs (violette) et de réglisse. Les arômes sont vifs et intenses, avec un fruité qui semble assez opulent. En bouche, comme le nez l'indiquait, le fruit est mûr, mais sans une quelconque lourdeur qu'on l'on pourrait retrouver dans un …

2015 vintage

Petits fruits rouges, fraises, framboises, cerises, une petites touche de cannelle(bonbon poisson rouge). En bouche, c'est du fruits a profusion, fruits rouges croquants et juteux, longueur moyenne a court. Beau Morgon.

2015 vintage

Rubis foncé. Petits fruits rouges, fraises écrasés, framboises, un peu de cannelle. Frais en bouche, juteux à souhait, belle acidité sans etre tranchant, beucoup de fruits, longueur moyenne. Très beau Morgon.

2015 vintage

I love this vintage of Chamonard's Morgon. Like with previous bottles, this was a lissom wine. A rose petal nose, shifting to become more sappy and woodsy with time in the decanter. So sparklingly crystalline yet popping with flavor in the mouth.

2007 vintage

A fascinating find at a local restaurant, and all the more so because of the 2013 Lys we found two days earlier at Narcissa. The score reflects the fact that this gamay has held up nicely and has real light cherry fruit almost 20 years later. Certainly underscores the value of the efforts of the "Gang of Four(6 )" to bring cru Beaujolais into serious cellars since 2009. The acid balance was a bit off, but not enough to interfere …

1997 vintage

Fresh, ripe fruit. Some licorice. At the age of 5 it's still so fresh and fruity. On 15 degrees Celsius it's delicious!

2011 vintage

nose of fresh raspberry and blackberry. lovely mouth - juicy light fruity, fresh slight savory plum and a bit of spritz which leads to a semi-unfinished quality

2007 vintage

Had high expectations, but something was really wrong with this bottle.

2010 vintage

Lighter style red wines : Murky, pickle notes, low alcohol, high accidity, too "natural" something went wrong here.

1997 vintage

Focused, sleek and serious. Cherry, pomegranate and clay on the nose with some brett coming through. The palate is juicy, and after some air, manages to stay unsullied by the brett leaving the same beautiful red fruit from the nose with a slight dusty grip of tannin. Great lift keeps it fresh and lively. A wonderful wine that should get better with some time in bottle.

2011 vintage

Not an enjoyable bottle of wine. Too little fruit, and what was left was not delicious at all. There was a delicate and interesting nature to it, but not a fun journey. one glass was plenty.

1997 vintage

A complete contrast with my previous bottle. Tight cork this time and the wine smelled good as soon as it was opened. Decanted off a boatload of sediment, it did need an hour or so of air to open up. Soapy and vegetal in a ghostly and elegant way. Long finish.

1997 vintage

Well, at least this bottle wasn't fully gone like the last, but it's fairly tart, dilute, and the previously mentioned peanut funk is popping up although it doesn't render the wine undrinkable. Not a great first experience with aged Gamay.

1997 vintage

Well, this was interesting - loose cork as noted by previous tasters, chock full of sediment, smells ok, pretty heavy acid attack on the front end but some nice faded fruit and rose petal, things are looking promising and then the whole thing gets T-boned with this weird fermented peanut funk that I've never tasted in any other wine. I've a lot of patience for natural wine, for brett, for old, old bottles of funky traditional wine but this is …

1997 vintage

Similar experience to Ben: loose cork, and maybe not kombucha, but very tart most of the time. The very beginning was good, but after 20 minutes in my glass it was kinda gross. I hope my other bottle is better.

1997 vintage

MASTER ESAGONALE FRANCIA; 1/14/2015-7/30/2015 (HOTEL WESTIN PALACE MILANO) : Degustato alla cieca. Naso molto aperto e solare. Amaretto, arance insanguinate. Toni amaricanti da tisana alle erbe e sensazione eterea di acquavite, un mon chéri ripieno di liquore. Naso molto giovanile, pannoso e fragoloso, sembra un variegato all' amarena. In bocca è slanciato, teso, acidulo, ma c' è così tanto frutto che a metà bocca lo fa sembrare quasi intimo e profondo. Vinosità amara e fruttata. Vino simpatico, giovanissimo con finale …

2010 vintage

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Domaine J. Chamonard, Morgon, Le Clos de Lys

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