2010 Morgon Cote du Py 3.14

The 2010 Morgon Cote du Py has a lifted bouquet with scents of raspberry leaf, Morello and citrus lemon that is very well-defined. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins. There is superb tension in this Morgan, great depth, and the finish is imbued with superb focus. Though it does not quite have the panache of the Cuvee 3’14” (2010), it is a very pure Morgon with the substance to suggest it will age with aplomb. Drink now-2019. Unfortunately, Monsieur Foillard and I had one of those proverbial “miscommunications” with regard to the time of our appointment, ergo a slightly dishevelled and bare chested Monsieur Foillard was found opening the upstairs shutters of his maison in Villie-Morgon and calling down to me apologetically, promising to be dressed and downstairs tout de suite. A quick comb and a shirt later, and he was escorting me through what I consider one of the best Beaujolais producers. I have been a long-time fan of Foillard’s wines, and it has nothing to do about this being one of the so-called “Gang of Four,” as Kermit Lynch coined his quartet of leading natural wine producers. No, it simply stems from my appreciation of the complexity and unfettered deliciousness of these wines. I was first attracted at my local wine retailer, which happened to be their UK importer, Les Caves de Pyrene. The odd-looking, eye-catching label of the Cuvee 3’14” piqued my interest, though admittedly I misinterpreted it as an homage to Stonehenge instead of the symbol for pi. (I have always tended to think laterally, not literally). Since 1980, together with his wife Agnes, they have farmed their 14-hectare estate inspired by the ideals of Jules Chauvet, eschewing the use of herbicides, chemicals and applying minimal sulfur additions. What I like is the substance to these wines, perhaps more so than Marcel/Mathieu Lapierre’s own take on Morgon. These are wines with presence and weight, matiere, packed to the rafters with fistfuls of fruit without excessive or obvious effort. How much can be attributed to their natural winemaking technique? It is a moot point so long as the wine delivers. And to disabuse the notion of such wines being incapable of aging, Jean kindly offered a mini-vertical of his cuvees that demonstrated how these wines repay cellaring, hitting a sweet spot from four to around eight years of age. Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524 and also available through Les Caves de Pyrene in UK.

Grapes grown on crumbly schist soil in the Côte du Py climat. Traditional carbonic maceration takes place before the resulting juice is aged for 12 months in old foudres. The wine is unfiltered, unfined and uses no additional SO2. Slightly raw fruit and some lolly notes. It all looks very good on paper but it’s not there yet. (JR)

Bright purple. Pungent aromas of redcurrant, black raspberry, dried rose and minerals, with a smoky overtone. Juicy, incisive red fruit flavors show a refreshingly bitter edge and gain sweetness with air. Fine-grained and admirably balanced, finishing with noteworthy clarity and lingering spiciness. Lacks the density and sex appeal of the 2009 but I really like this wine's energy and cut.