The 2023 Morgon Côte du Py comes from several parcels of granite and schistous soils with many centurion vines. This has a wonderful, very complex bouquet with exquisite delineation: crushed stone filters through dark berry fruit alongside hints of ash and light stony scents. The sapid and vivacious palate has filigree tannins, a silver thread of acidity, and a touch of cracked black pepper towards the long finish. This is one of the best Morgons you can buy but that's old news.  Vinous Media 94

• Producer: Jean Foillard is one of the defining producers of modern Beaujolais. He took over his family domaine in the early 1980s and became closely associated with Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton and Jean-Paul Thévenet—the group later known as the “Gang of Four.” Inspired by the work and philosophy of Jules Chauvet, Foillard pursued a traditional, low-intervention approach centered on healthy fruit, native fermentations, whole-cluster vinification, minimal sulfur and avoiding unnecessary manipulation in the cellar. His reputation has been built principally in Morgon, and especially on the Côte du Py, where much of the domaine’s vineyard holdings are concentrated. Over the ensuing decades, Foillard helped demonstrate just how serious, complex and age-worthy Gamay from the great sites of Beaujolais could be. Today his son Alex is increasingly involved at the domaine, continuing the family’s work and approach.
• Vineyard: Côte du Py is the vineyard most closely associated with both Morgon and Jean Foillard. The celebrated hill rises above Villié-Morgon and is distinguished by its decomposed granite and schist-rich soils. Foillard’s 2023 Côte du Py comes from several parcels across the site, including a significant number of century-old vines. Those old vines and the distinctive geology of the hill contribute to a Morgon with considerably more depth and structure than the easy-drinking image sometimes associated with Beaujolais. Côte du Py is particularly known for producing Morgon capable of developing beautifully in bottle, with its youthful Gamay fruit gradually taking on more savory, earthy and mineral complexity. In his review of the 2023, Neal Martin specifically highlights the crushed-stone character running through the dark fruit, along with fine tannins, lively acidity and black pepper on the finish.
• Winemaking: The wine is 100% Gamay and follows Foillard’s longstanding philosophy of minimal intervention. The domaine works with old vines, avoids synthetic herbicides and pesticides, harvests by hand with careful selection of the fruit, and traditionally employs whole-cluster fermentation. Foillard is also known for long, cool semi-carbonic macerations, native yeasts, minimal additions of sulfur, no chaptalization and bottling without filtration. This approach is intended to preserve the perfume and natural freshness of Gamay while allowing the mineral character and structure of Côte du Py to remain prominent. The 2023 combines dark berry and floral fruit with crushed stone, spice and fine-grained tannins, delivering the combination of immediacy and underlying structure that has made Foillard’s Côte du Py such a benchmark expression of Morgon.
• Technical Details: 2023 vintage; 100% Gamay; Morgon AOC; Côte du Py; Beaujolais, France; 750ml. The fruit comes from multiple parcels on the Côte du Py, with granite and schist soils and numerous century-old vines. Published alcohol figures vary among current merchant listings, so I would leave alcohol out of the website specifications unless confirmed directly from the bottle or technical sheet. The 2023 is a particularly fine example of why Côte du Py has become synonymous with Foillard: it combines the concentration expected from old-vine Morgon with freshness, mineral definition and fine tannins rather than relying simply on weight.
• Food Pairing: Morgon Côte du Py has enough structure for substantial dishes while retaining the freshness that makes Gamay so versatile at the table. Roast chicken, duck, pork tenderloin, charcuterie, grilled sausages and beef bourguignon are all natural matches. Its earthy and mineral side also works especially well with mushrooms and lentils. Slightly cooler than typical red-wine serving temperature—around 55–60°F—is a good way to emphasize the wine’s perfume and freshness.