Wine Review: Cote du Pye is a Beaujolais Beauty

It is certainly time to investigate these wines further if you haven’t already done so. Jean and Agnès Foillard took over his father’s domaine in 1980 and today most of their vineyards are planted on the Côte du Py, the famed slope outside the town of Villié–Morgon and the pride of Morgon, one of 10 ‘cru’ of Beaujolais.

Pretty sexy stuff aromatically with vivid wild cherry and dark fruits deeply etched with spice and minerals. There are some ferrous notes: a gentle waft of iron fillings, some light beef consommé hints and what I see as a distinct character of the Morgon ‘terroir’ – a heady and alluring calvados note.

In the mouth, the wine is nimble and light on its feet with a sense of freshness that makes good Beaujolais so delicious and drinkable. Vibrant, crunchy wild cherry and plummy fruits with some raspberry top–notes segue to a mid–palate that is well weighted and awash with spice, crushed earth, and light licorice, dark chocolate and scattered herbs.

This wine is dangerously drinkable. It is elegant but with a vibrant edge and has a crystalline structure and a mineral acid line and ripe, fine–grained chalky tannins. If you were to whip up something like a cassoulet and crack open a bottle of this, you’d better have my number on speed dial.

Jean Foillard 2014 Morgon Côte du Py