2022 Dominique Piron Morgon Cote du Py Beaujolais 750 ml

Dominique Piron is one of the iconic producers of Beaujolais, and Côte du Py is widely recognized as the greatest terroir in the revered Morgon cru. Factor in the 2022 vintage—a warm year that delivered extra depth and concentration—and you get a “spine-tingling,” “stunningly beautiful wine” (Jancis Robinson).

Crafted by a 14th-generation winemaker—traditionalist Dominique Piron, who can trace his family’s history of winegrowing in Beaujolais back to 1590—this cuvée is culled from steep slopes holding the oldest soils in Beaujolais: the famous roche pourrie, or “rotten rock” of decomposed schist. The wines Piron shapes out of this precious soil’s Gamay grapes possess striking structure and superb ageworthiness.

Favoring single-vineyard expressions honed by long vinifications, Piron is often grouped with other classically minded producers like Domaine Paul Janin et Fils and Château Thivin, all of whom employ the same methods the Côte d’Or’s best producers use for Pinot Noir. The goal, as Piron told Wine Advocate, is “a photocopy of the soil.”

This 2022 release accomplishes that feat beautifully. If you’re unfamiliar with world-class bottlings off Morgon’s Côte du Py hillside, imagine the granitic verve of Côte-Rôtie combined with the heady aromatics of a fabulous Chinon. A jolt of minerality bursts through the palate’s dense, dark fruit, while the nose offers a supple bouquet of black cherry, spice, and crushed ash.

As in Burgundy, vinification is slow and gentle: partial destemming, a lengthy fermentation to pull out the finest tannins from the grape skins, and aging in barrels and foudres to lend roundness. This is an attention-grabbing, serious wine, offering the best of what Beaujolais can be.