Magical Morgon
2009 Foillard Morgon Cuvée Corcelette
Reaching Another Level in 2009
When the Corcelette is on, it is among the most elegant renditions of Gamay on planet earth.
Foillard is a man of many voices.
His Côte du Py is one of the monuments of Morgon. It is a powerhouse, deep and meaty with a certain sternness and structure - drink it with a fork and knife.
The elusive 3.14 is the kind of rarity NYC geeks fly to Paris just to taste; it's a complex, enigmatic Beaujolais that tastes like Gamay grown in Cornas, Gamay vines that have baked under the sun of Côte-Rôtie.
From a roughly one-hectare parcel Foillard makes a small amount of Fleurie - also worth seeking out.
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Then, however, there is the Corcelette: It is certainly the most under-the-radar of his Morgons.
When this bottle is on, it is among the most elegant renditions of Gamay on planet earth - it is without peer and references to the satiny filigree of Chambolle-Musigny or the delineation and focus of Volnay are spot-on.
Not all of Foillard's Corcelette's have wowed us. The 2008 was a bit too tough, the frame too lean and blunt - like a seat with not enough padding. Stephen and I have spoken about this many times, but for whatever reason the Corcelette seems to be a cuvée that needs ripeness, that requires a fuller vintage to give it the raw materials it needs.
Which brings us to the 2009 edition.
We initially received just a few cases; I took a few, Stephen took a few and the rest sold quickly on the shelf. We drank them over a few months and each of us were, on numerous occasions, simply blown away by the bottle. This is one of the greatest Corcelettes we've ever experienced - the wine is on a totally different level.
This is a magical Beaujolais, Morgon's most feminine, delicate side with an incredible suppleness, a racy softness that still has plenty of vigor and snap (it's just cloaked in satin).
So where does this come from, this anomaly in Morgon?
It is the soil, the terroir (visit Foillard - he hammers home his focus on terroir, all the wines are made the exact same way and he'll insist you taste them all, side-by-side). Here, we are dealing with very old vines (80 years old) planted in sandy soil - the sternness of Beaujolais literally softened by sand.
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The 2009 vintage has been well chronicled here (to say nothing of the serious love its gotten from wine geeks, Burgundy collectors and a whole new generation of wine lovers) - no other vintage since 2005 has achieved such intense concentrations, such dense mineral structures.
This sort of vintage that happens very rarely and we'll be perfectly frank that we stumbled upon this 2nd parcel. This is a bottle we treasured, expecting to just quietly marvel at the wine but to keep it largely to ourselves.
We're thrilled to bring it to a larger audience - it deserves some rapture. It will give some rapture in return.
Beaujolais remains the land of obscene value. That bottles like this remain fairly priced is the sort of anachronistic fact that will make us all shake our heads in ten years, when Beaujolais has gone the way of Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, the Rhône, et al.
Enjoy it now - and stock up now.
The 2009 Corcelette is compact, yet dense - it's drinking lovely right now though honestly, expect it to benefit from 5-7 years of aging and likely ten.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits