Although limited in number, a select few vineyards around the globe have been immortalized as the undisputed heavyweight of their appellation: I think of “To-Kalon” in Oakville; “Montrachet” in Chassagne/Puligny; “Cannubi'' in Barolo; and yes, “Côte du Py” in Morgon—even if it’s on a smaller scale in terms of price and fame. It is here, on the ancient remnants of an extinct volcano, where 400-million-year-old soils lend wines their dimension-bending mineral character. 

Accordingly, Beaujolais’ top producers have flocked to this treasured hill to own a slice of vines: Do names like Foillard, Lapierre, and Thévenet ring a bell? If not, dine out in a major city and check the wine list—one or all of them will be on it. Jean Arthaud, too, bottles a batch of wine from this iconic site that quietly exists as one of its greatest values. Coming from vines pushing beyond a half-century, the third-generation Trenel family manually harvests ripe, mineral-infused Gamay from Côte du Py’s southern slope and allows it to mature in a mixture of concrete and Burgundy barrels. The jaw-dropping result is a muscular red of remarkable energy imprinted with a crystalline stamp of ancient granite and schist. You’re among the very few in America who have access to Arthaud’s new 2019 release—there’s nothing quite like reveling in a delicious, serious, hard-to-acquire $30 Burgundy!

Henri Claudius Trenel set up shop just outside of Mâcon proper in 1928 and his estate has been passed down twice over the past century. Interestingly, Jean Arthaud excels in more than just winemaking—they’re also a distillery that hand-crafts fruit liqueurs, most notably Burgundy-grown cassis and framboise. Today, however, we only care about their thunderous “Côte du Py,” an ever-crumbling ancient slope of granite and schist that takes the already joyful Gamay grape and imbues it with an extra dose of energy and intensity. They hardly have any acreage to write home about, but what makes it into the bottle demands high praise. After hard harvesting, the grapes ferment, 50% whole cluster, and then age in a combination of concrete tanks and twice-used Burgundy barrels. In order to best showcase the ancient terroir, the wine is bottled without fining. 

Haven’t had a “Côte du Py” before? You won’t forget it. These wines are masterclasses in terroir and typicity and are part of the elite cadre of Cru Beaujolais that can age with the best of Burgundy. Given a 30-minute decant, the wine provides immense joy right now (although this could sneakily age for 5-8 years), erupting with ripe black plum, huckleberry, black cherry liqueur, cassis, damp violet, crushed volcanic rock, grape stem, rose petal, underbrush, iron, and hints of spice. The grippy, dark-fruited palate stretches longer and deeper than most $30 competition, unleashing intense brambly fruit and crushed minerals along the way. Although it never loses its Gamay identity, this ’19 is built for lovers of stylish, muscular Burgundy (Gevrey’s structure comes to mind) and those who demand a genuine taste of terroir in their fine French reds. Cheers!