From the atlas
Domaine du Petit Pérou
Domaine du Petit Pérou in Villié-Morgon works Gamay across named Morgon sites, with separate cellar treatments for Beaujolais, Morgon and white wines.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Region | Beaujolais wine growing region |
| Village | Villié-Morgon |
| Grape varieties | White juiced Gamay Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah |
| Morgon wines | Côte du Py, Vieilles Vignes and Les Dryades |
| Farming | Vines mainly worked without herbicides, insecticides or botrytis treatments |
The Producer
At Domaine du Petit Pérou, Laurent Thévenet works in the cellar and vineyard and also delivers wine to customers. His son Hugo Thévenet works across the vineyard, winemaking and sales sides of the family estate.
The domaine has more than 10 hectares in the Morgon cru, including 1.5 hectares on Côte du Py. Its plantings include white juiced Gamay Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah, alongside the Gamay used for its Morgon wines.
Place
The estate is located in Villié-Morgon, in the Beaujolais wine growing region. Part of the vineyard lies in the hamlet Le Pérou, which gives Domaine du Petit Pérou its name.
Morgon is a named Beaujolais cru, and Côte du Py is the hill overlooking the cru. The domaine bottles wine from this named place as Morgon Côte du Py, keeping the site in the range as its own wine.
Soil And Site
Most of the vines grow on clay soils, while three hectares are planted on sandy soils. Clay generally holds more water than sand, while sandy ground drains more quickly.
The Côte du Py parcels contain schist, decomposed granite and hard blue stone. The estate also describes the blue stones as rich in trace elements. Morgon Vieilles Vignes comes from land below Côte du Py, where clay, blue stones and alluvium surround vines planted in 1920.
Story
After more than ten years of experience, Laurent Thévenet took over management of the property in 2005. Hugo Thévenet finished his wine studies in 2015, completing qualifications in vineyards and wine as well as technical sales for wines and spirits.
Hugo now works across vineyard work, winemaking and sales, while Laurent continues in the cellar and vineyard and delivers wine to customers. The family roles cover the estate from vineyard work through wine production and sales.
Vineyards And Cellar
The estate's vines average 40 years of age. They are mainly worked without herbicides, insecticides or botrytis treatments. The white wines are certified organic, while the red vineyards are farmed under integrated practices.
The cellar separates its treatments by wine type. Beaujolais wines spend around 4 to 5 days in vats with thermovinification, followed by cooling to 20°C. Morgon wines spend 8 to 14 days in vat with semi carbonic maceration, a method used here to develop aroma and colour. White grapes are pressed as soon as they arrive, then cold fermented between 8 and 12°C for 25 to 30 days.
Côte du Py receives 20 days of carbonic maceration, followed by 14 months in 500 litre oak barrels and one month of stabilization in concrete tanks. Vieilles Vignes receives 15 days of carbonic maceration, 12 months in old oak barrels and one month of stabilization in concrete. Les Dryades is 30 percent destemmed, receives 12 days of semi carbonic maceration and ages for 8 months in concrete tanks.
Wines
The range moves from Beaujolais wines to Morgon wines and white wines made from the estate's white juiced Gamay Noir and Chardonnay plantings. Beaujolais receives a shorter vat treatment, while Morgon receives longer semi carbonic maceration for greater aromatic development and colour.
Morgon Côte du Py is the named hill wine. Morgon Vieilles Vignes comes from the vines planted in 1920 below Côte du Py. Morgon Les Dryades comes from Morgon Tradition, the oldest cuvée of the estate, and takes its name from the place known as Aux Chênes. The producer gives Les Dryades a keeping period of three to five years.
In The Glass
Vieilles Vignes opens with fresh red fruit, light toast and spice. The palate brings wild strawberry, blackberry and vanilla, with silky, melted tannins. An independent tasting of the 2021 wine found ripe red fruit, a round fruity attack, increasing density and a persistent finish.
Les Dryades shows fresh fruit and floral aromas, followed by bright acidity, raspberry, strawberry and a mineral touch. Its palate is smooth, with freshness carried by the acidity and a rich bouquet that remains clear through the finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Morgon Côte du Py is the first bottle to open. It is Gamay from very old southeast facing plots at 250 metres above sea level, with schist, decomposed granite and hard blue stone in the ground.
The detailed cellar sequence is 20 days of carbonic maceration, 14 months in 500 litre oak barrels and one month of stabilization in concrete tanks. The bottle joins a named Morgon hill, a single grape and an extended oak ageing regime in one wine.
Anecdote
In 1977, inheritances reduced Roger Thévenet's vineyard holding to 3.5 hectares, and Domaine du Petit Pérou had to be rebuilt. Roger and Laurent Thévenet took on the rebuilding and brought the holding to 10 hectares by 1985. The work took eight years, with the vineyard growing from the area left after the inheritances to the larger holding reached by 1985. Roger and Laurent carried out the rebuilding together, restoring the family domaine through a measurable expansion of its vineyard area.
Final Word
Domaine du Petit Pérou works from Villié-Morgon through Gamay Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah, with Côte du Py, Vieilles Vignes and Les Dryades giving its Morgon range distinct parcels and cellar treatments.
Sources
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/estate.php
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/history.php
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/philosophy.php
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/wines/morgon-cote-du-py-4.php
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/wines/morgon-vieilles-vignes-6.php
- https://www.petitperou.com/en/wines/morgon-les-dryades-5.php
- https://www.gilbertgaillard.com/fr/resultats/domaine-du-petit-perou-vieilles-vignes-274586