Whether you’re an established wine collector or an aspiring one, I urge you to broaden your definition of ‘collectible’ wine. I feel like we’ve already embraced the fact that truly “great” wine comes from a wider array of places today than it did in years past, but the typical collector’s cellar still draws from a relatively narrow selection of usual suspects—Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Piedmont, Tuscany, Napa Valley.
If you are collecting with an eye toward name recognition and resale value, then yes, you’re not likely to stray too far from these blue chips. But if you’re collecting with an eye toward wine, rather than price, appreciation—i.e. actually drinking what’s in your cellar—then today’s Morgon from Domaine Calot will reward you handsomely. I guess what I’m saying here is that a wine need not be expensive to be collectible—it needs to demonstrate a capacity to improve with age, and Calot’s wines do that while being almost comically low-priced. Stocking away a case of this 2016 Morgon—which I think I’ve done every year for the last five vintages or so—is not about reselling it for profit 10 years from now; it’s about pulling a bottle on a Tuesday night in about five years and being blown away by its perfume, minerality, and graceful evolution. I’ll marvel at how it outperforms Burgundian Pinot Noirs costing twice as much. And I’ll likely open a second bottle. That’s what ‘collectible’ means to me, and if you’re of like mind, we’ve got plenty of this impeccable old-vine Gamay for you to scoop up today.
Over the last few years especially, Cru Beaujolais has reached a new level of recognition and respect, with the wines of Morgon and neighboring Fleurie rising to the top rank of the region’s 10 cru-designated villages. And after a very warm 2015 vintage created many richly concentrated wines that were often blown out of proportion, 2016 was a return to more classic form, with floral, brightly perfumed wines that hum with energy. Morgon, with its granitic soils mixed with some volcanic material, is known for producing some of the most structured, concentrated reds among the Beaujolais crus, and Domaine Calot has long been one of our trusted ‘go-to’ houses in this village—their high-altitude vineyards in the village of Villié-Morgon are rooted in pure granite and boast some incredible old plantings (vieilles vignes) that in some cases exceed 100 years of age.
And it’s not so much that Calot’s “Vieilles Vignes” expresses its old-vine origins in the ‘size,’ or weight, of the wine, but in its depth and complexity of flavor. Crafted these days by Vincent Calot (whose uncle, Jean, the estate’s longtime head, passed away in 2015), the grapes for this bottling are hand-harvested and fermented on indigenous yeasts in stainless steel. Aging takes place in a combination of used, larger-capacity oak foudre and used barriques sourced from Burgundy. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, it’s one of the most consistent, transparent, and well-structured expressions of old-vine Gamay you’ll find, and it has remained one of the best buys on the market despite the ever-rising fortunes of Morgon.
In the glass, Calot’s 2016 “Vieilles Vignes” is a characteristically deep, nearly opaque ruby with slight hints of pink and purple at the rim. Aromatically, it’s a highly perfumed mix of wild red and black berries, cherry, and cranberry along with woodsy notes of underbrush, rose petals and crushed granite. The concentrated palate is both fruit-saturated and refreshingly crunchy, the dark fruit notes and forest-floor woodsiness taking turns at the fore. I personally enjoy these wines decanted for 30 minutes and served just above cellar temperature, around 55-60 degrees. This is serious Beaujolais, so do right by it with a large Burgundy stem—and while you won’t be able to keep your hands off a few bottles now, I can’t stress enough how age-worthy this wine is. The real sweet spot for Calot Morgon, in my experience, is at 5-7 years of age, and it will go even longer if cellared properly. Not bad at all for less than $30! Pair it with a rustic plate of sausage and lentils and toast what will surely be one of your shrewdest buys of the year. Cheers!
