2018 Morgon Côte du Py

Maison Chapoutier, of long-time northern Rhône fame, purchased this venerable Beaujolais négociant in 2015. So far, little has changed. The style of wines tends to be on the age-worthy, concentrated and structured side of things. Trenel buys grapes as well as juice for the wines. Most of the fruit is de-stemmed, and the wines are made without carbonic maceration, à la Burgundy. Aging takes place in a combination of concrete and stainless steel tanks and oak barrels, most of them used Burgundian barriques. The 2018s are on the powerful, often dark-fruited side, in keeping with the character of the vintage, and are worthy of patience. Given the famously restless personality of Michel Chapoutier, I’ve little doubt that changes are afoot, and I look forward to seeing what his team did with the 2019s.