Morgon Cote du Py From a Master. Perhaps the Best Winemaker in Beaujolais. Burgaud is a Winemaking Genius. 93 Points, (Vinous).

If you can’t afford the $100’s of dollars per bottle for 1er or Grand Cru Burgundy, this is the next best thing.

MORGON CÔTE DU PY BY JEAN-MARC BURGAUD 2014

93 points – Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media, June 2016

Bottle Price : $29.95

Case Price : $359.40

Winery : Jean-Marc Burgaud

Wine Region : Beaujolais (France), France (France)

Bottle Per Case : 12 x 750 ml

Food Pairing : Breads, Cured Meat, Hard Cheese, Red Meat, Rich Fish, Roasted Vegetables, Soft Cheese, White Meat

“Deep ruby. Sappy cherry and dark berries on the powerfully scented nose; hints of floral pastilles and exotic spices build in the glass. Highly energetic and appealingly sweet, offering palate-staining black raspberry and candied rose flavors supported by a spine of juicy acidity. Takes a turn to darker fruits on the gently tannic finish, which hangs on with impressive tenacity and echoing florality.”

At this point, i have met a lot of winemakers. Many of them deemed to be very important in the world of wine. After tasting with so many winemakers, one sort of starts to get a feel for who is doing a great job and who just appears to be doing a great job. Jean Burgaud is the real deal folks. Not only is he amazing at what he does, but he has the passion to boot. This is, quite simply, some of the best Beaujolais produced in every vintage.

Why is Burgaud so good at what he does? Well, to start with, he has some of the best terroir. This always helps, but does not guarantee great wines. Many a producer has inherited, or purchased, great terroir, and manages to produce only mediocre wines. One must take the time to understand and love the terroir from which he is working.

As the saying goes, “life is short.” Sadly, the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. Most of us have probably heard the expression, “life is too short to drink bad wine.” The problem is, it takes a long time to discover which wines it is that best suit your palate. However, once this discovery is made, and for clarity, it is ever evolving, if you can afford to drink the wines you love, there is no excuse not to. It is really hard not to love Burgaud’s wines. He does it right from start to finish. The wines age gracefully with beautiful tertiary flavours, and if you overlook them because of the appellation, you are making a serious error.

Today, we are just going with WineOnline.ca favourites. That includes Rainoldi’s Sfursat Ca Rizzieri. I would suggest that Rainoldi’s wines are the best to come out of Valtellina, though i imagine some might object. With that said, i have tasted an awful lot of wine from the region, including some blind, and Rainoldi’s wines, always seem to be the cream of the crop.

For those not familiar with this wine, which is likely most of you, Sfursat Ca Rizzieri is produced in the same style as Amarone, but with Nebbiolo grapes. It is a DOCG wine and is only produced in Valtellina. The reason this wine never managed to claim the critical acclaim it is worthy of is that most of the production is consumed locally, or in nearby Switzerland. Rainoldi’s version is perennially awarded Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso.

The last wine for today is the Puligny Montrachet from Bachelet Monnot. Village Burgundy is often overlooked as it tends to be expensive and you have to wait a few years for it to reach its potential. With that said, Village Burgundy, from a good producer, can be some of the most rewarding wines you will ever drink. Do not overlook these delicious treats in favour of the much more expensive 1er and Grand Cru wines.

I would like to wish you all a wonderful and relaxing family day weekend…