2020 Maison L'Envoye Morgon Côte du Py

Maison L’Envoye, or “the house of the messenger,” is an international wine making and distribution enterprise founded by Oregon winemaker Mark Tarlov and Old Bridge Cellars, a wine importer led by Rob Buono and Gavin Speight. Maison L’Envoye produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay Noir from properties in Burgundy, Oregon and Tasmania. The wines have earned scores in the low 90s from reviewers.

Cote du Py is a famous vineyard on the slopes of Morgon’s central Mount du Py. The soil is a hard black schist, meaning coarse-grained metamorphic rock made of layers of different minerals. Of the 10 crus of Beaujolais, Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon are considered to have the finest terroirs.

The Gamay grape produces a light, versatile and food-friendly wine. It is best known for making Beaujolais Nouveau, but it is also grown in Loire and Tours. Thankfully the 14th C. Duke of Burgundy’s degree to ban the grape did not spread through all of France.