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I’ve been patiently waiting for this day to come. I’m a fiend for reds from the softer end of the spectrum; I’ll take a bottle of Cru Beaujolais over a Napa Cabernet any day. Of course I still drink big wines and especially when dictated by food, but this seems to be the phase I’m in. The wines from around the village of Morgon (one of the best of the 10 Beaujolais Crus) are notably some of my favourites. Silky wines from Gamay Noir with clean red fruit, some earthy notes, and often showing Pinot Noir traits with a little bit of age.

The other night we sat down and got into these three wines:
Marcel Lapierre’s ’07 Morgon
Jean Foillard’s ’07 Morgon “Côte du Py”
Dominique Piron’s ’05 Morgon “Côte du Py.”
Pure drinking pleasure.

Marcel Lapierre ’07 Morgon

Marcel Lapierre farms 11 hectares biodynamically in Morgon and owns some of the most impeccably tended vineyards anywhere.

The Wine:
Definitely the lightest in colour of the three. Fresh wild red fruits, and a strawberry chapstick character with a very slight brambly or leafy note. Good intensity for the weight. Very lovely and silky texture.

“It’s like a really amazing red gatorade with levels and complexities.” – Alex Thornley’s insight on the Lapierre

Jean Foillard ’07 Morgon “Côte du Py”

This wine is made from grapes grown on Jean Foillard‘s 5 hectares of land in the Côte du Py. The Côte du Py is a cimat inside the Morgon appellation which expresses a unique personality and is revered for its quality. Foillard too produces his wines naturally.

The Wine:
Still partially transparent but darker than the Lapierre. Red licorice (Nibs), purple fruit, and strawberry characters. A little more weight with slight grippy tannins. I love the structure and texture, but found it lacking some complexities.

Dominique Piron ’05 Morgon “Côte du Py”

Domaines Piron is a larger producer than the previous two – their fruit comes from over 50 hectares in Beaujolais spanning 9 appellations and they have over 300 years of winemaking history in the region.

The Wine:
Still darker yet in colour than the Foillard – slightly transparent. By far the earthiest on the nose! Purple fruit and plum combined with a smokey, meaty and slightly barnyard character. This could be confused for Pinot Noir. Same great velvety texture and not as big as the nose leads on. Red and black licorice, raspberry with some earthy minerality.

All three of these wines were delicious and although different personalities, they shared a common familiarity  – gorgeous texture and a minerally, strawberry/cherry chapstick character. The Foillard’s showing was a little disappointing for me (I had big hopes) but I feel like it may have been in a bit of a dumb stage. It’s hard to compare it to the Piron as it is two years younger – maybe more earthy characters will develop? We unanimously picked Marcel Lapierre’s wine as the winner. If there was food involved, the outcome may have been different, but this is perfect solo sipping wine.

What more do I have to say to get you to try these wines? Seriously, aren’t you sick of Aussi Shiraz yet?
-Marcel Lapierre’s Morgon is available at the BCLDB for $40
-Jean Foillard’s Morgon is available at Terroir in San Francisco for $25ish USD
-Dominique Piron’s Morgon is available at the BCLDB for $26