Jean-Marc Burgaud’s Morgon “Côte du Py” begs the question, just what makes a wine a true grand vin? Surely it has to come from great terroir. It has to be soulful and complex, crafted by a devoted vigneron with an unwavering attention to detail. And it has to be able to go the distance in the cellar. But does it need to say “Grand Cru” on the label? Must it require years of patience before we can appreciate it? Does it have to demand a triple-digit price tag? Burgaud’s “Côte du Py” answers all these questions with a resounding “no!” This is stunning, head-spinningly delicious Beaujolais that sings with red-fruited, floral pleasure and serious granitic seriousness in equal measure. It’s utterly delicious now, the sort of effortlessly complex red that’s right for any moment. But it’ll also greatly reward a decade-plus in your cellar. In short, it’s everything that’s great about Beaujolais in one bottle, ready to go neck-and-neck with top-notch cuvées from anywhere else in France, and it comes in at well under $50. You’ll want this on your holiday table this year and for many years to come, so stock up!
BONUS: Burgaud’s California importer has tiny amounts of magnums from the previous 2022 vintage still available, and the pricing (just $80!) is fantastic. Click HERE to grab some before they’re gone!
Jean-Marc Burgaud stands with the best of Beaujolais, even the legendary “Gang of Four.” A native son of the region, he began making wine under his own name in 1989. He started with just three hectares and has since added an additional fifteen. While Jean-Marc has holdings in Regnie and the village Lantignié, he considers the cru Morgon his true viticultural home. Jean-Marc works in the classic Beaujolais way, which is to say entirely organic in the vineyard and with minimal intervention in the cellar. He never de-stems, and fermentations proceed with indigenous yeasts, followed by aging in larger wood. Like fellow Morgon stars Lapierre and Foillard, Jean-Marc makes natural wine with added drinkability and soul thanks to the hands-off methods. But the wines are first and foremost clean and classic, full of deliciously ripe fruit and fresh structure.
If there’s one vineyard to know in Morgon–indeed, perhaps in all of Beaujolais–it’s Côte du Py. This large hill sits at the center of the cru, an ancient volcano pushed up in the center of the region, bringing with it multiple different soil types. There’s granite here, as there is in much of Beujolais, but also blue schist and the distinct roche pourrie, a uniquely friable type of volcanic schist. Côte du Py is something like Beaujolais’ answer to a great Côte de Nuit Premier Cru, a site where wines take on an added layer of sultry depth and tannic structure, a dark-fruited and more serious profile that makes for fantastic aging curves.
As mentioned, Burgaud ferments his Côte du Py as whole clusters in large wooden vats, allowing semi-carbonic maceration to take place. It’s pressed after about two weeks of maceration, then aged for a year in a mix of 500-liter casks and barriques. In an ideal setting, we’d all treat Jean-Marc Burgaud’s “Côte du Py” as we would great Burgundy, poured into large glasses, served just above cellar temp, perhaps with a little decant. But it’s also so forthrightly delightful, you’d be forgiven for just popping and pouring into an all-purpose glass and drinking it on a weeknight. It pours a limpid ruby, the nose a rush of red and black – crushed red cherries, black raspberry, raspberry liqueur, rose petals, cedar, black pepper, iron, smoke, and granite tones. On the palate it’s medium-full, turning towards the succulent fruit, with a near-perfect zip of refreshing acidity and maybe just a touch more tannin than we typically see in cru Beaujolais. All the better for the future; should you be able to hang onto this wine for long enough, it’ll turn downright Burgundian, showing more warm spices and succulent fruit. You won’t be able to keep your hands off it for long though, so best to load up!
