Dominique Piron Côte du Py Morgon 2022

Dominique Piron Côte du Py Morgon 2022

Appellation
Cru Morgon, one of the famous Cru Beaujolais, is based in the heart of northern Beaujolais. Côte du Py is the heart of Morgon, a little hill of very old blue stone rocks, the oldest soils of Beaujolais (around 430 millions years old), with a very blue characteristic color. It is known for centuries in Morgon that Côte du Py is the best terroir of the village, producing long lived wines with strong structure and flavors.

Vineyard
Average age of the vines: + 50 yo
Grape: 100% Gamay noir Sustainable viticulture
Surface in production: 8 hectares
Alc: 13%/vol.

Vinification
Hand picked grapes are sorted manually and destemmed for 50 to 70%. Fermentation starts in concrete tanks, for 18 to 25 days, during when we do some remontages and pigeages, more or less a burgundy fermentation. Then after pressurage we start the ageing, for 2/3 in concrete tank, and 1/3 in recent French oak barrels, during when we do batonages on fine lies only. After 10 month we do the blending, keeping only the best cuvees and best barrels, and do the bottling

Tasting notes and Pairing
Wines of the Côte du Py are very dark and profound, very dense. Aromas are very classic of cherry, kirsh and stone of the fruits. Very mineral, graphite, spices like black and white pepper. Wine can live a long life, more than 25 years old for the best vintages is not a problem! Older gamays of Côte du Py smells like old rose, and floral aromas. Côte du Py being a quite strong wine, it goes very well with red meat like beef, but also duck and why not game during the fall (Hare, Dear, Wild Pork,…) and good cheeses.

Ageing and Cellaring
Typicity is very good around 5-6 years old, with fruity aromas. But if a bottle is forgotten in your cellar for 10 or 20 years, don’t be afraid, you could be very surprised of the ageing potential of this terroir which could express a great complexity!

Reviews

James Suckling – “Welcome to the dark side of the Morgon force! Really concentrated, but with great mineral freshness, the fine tannins giving it excellent complexity on the medium-bodied palate. Just a hint of bitter chocolate at the vibrant and super-long wet-stone finish. Matured 80% in tank and 20% in wooden casks.” (96 Pts)

Wine Enthusiast – “This Morgon from Côte du Py has structure grounded in restraint. The wine opens with black plum and raspberry backed by spring forest floor and subtle, black-tea aromas. Silky in texture, the wine reveals complex layers of fruit with some dried field-herb notes on the finish. Drink now–2035.” (95 Pts)

Wine Enthusiast – “This offers power and structure, with a rich core of blackberry flanked by notes of warm spices, refreshing mint and grilled apple wood. Cooling river stone minerality washes through the finish, which is focused and slightly chewy. Drink now through 2028” (91 Pts, 2024 Wine Spectator 100 #91)