2022 Morgon Côte du Py

Jean-Marc Burgaud was out in the Far East promoting his wines with his importer when I dropped in at his winery in Morgon, but I enjoyed the company of his wife, Christine, and son-in-law, Quentin, the latter now working at the estate. He speaks better English than most Englishmen I know, having grown up on the other side of La Manche. At the moment, Jean-Marc assigns Quentin various tasks around the Domaine. Quentin recently got accustomed to driving a tractor in the vineyard, not for the faint-hearted, since he confessed that he often feels it’s about to tip over. This is an exemplary producer at the top of the tree. Tasting through Burgaud’s 2022s from bottle and 2023s from barrel (picked from September 9), there is a sense of sophistication running through nearly every cuvée. Burgaud is a master working in the Côte du Py who can occasionally evoke almost Pinot-like characteristics.

In my mind, and according to my palate for that matter, Jean-Marc Burgaud is the don of Morgon. His wines achieve the highest levels and have an unerring propensity to repay cellaring, as notes in this and previous Vinous reports will testify. Once I had located the winery (for some reason, I always lose my bearings), we settled down for a comprehensive tasting through his recently-bottled 2021s and barrel samples of 2022. “The 2021 vintage is very different to the 2020,” he tells me. “For me, it is more Beaujolais. In 2022, I started the harvest on August 27th. Then there was 15mm of rain on September 1st or 2nd, after which I started the picking in Lantignié. Unfortunately, I have lost the Régnié cuvée to another family member.”