Château de Pizay Morgon 2018

From our very first sniff of the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon, the accolades heralding the superior quality of the 2018 vintage in Beaujolais were confirmed, including the 92 points this specific wine was awarded by Decanter. Beautiful cherry and freshly picked strawberry fruit scents leap from the glass. Morgon is not a big, brawny wine, but with just one sniff and a single sip, the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon had us convinced. Add a bright crimson and purple robe and savory, silky-smooth flavors and it’s hard to think of the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon as anything but hedonism in a glass. In the mouth, raspberry and strawberry fruit with hints of cinnamon, crushed minerals and a delightfully seductive vinosity seduce the palate. Although delightful to drink now, this top notch Morgon still has several years of development ahead of it, as the wines of Morgon are traditionally some of the longest-lived Beaujolais wines. In an ideal world, one has a bottle of the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon on the table and several additional bottles in the cellar. For optimal enjoyment we suggest serving the 2018 Château de Pizay Morgon cool (55º-60º F) after just 5-10 minutes of aeration. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2023. Salut!

Château de Pizay’s 2018 Morgon needs no other accompaniment than a clean glass. Yet, classic Morgon such as the 2018 Château de Pizay deserves a meal equal to its stature. Traditional Burgundian cooking and other savory dishes from around the world provide wonderful accompaniments and will double the pleasure of this superb Morgon. Lightly flavored meats such as veal, ham, and pork provide excellent accompaniments to the finest cru Morgon, especially when the wine is young and in the full bloom of youth. Turkey, chicken, and light game such as Cornish hens, quail, and squab also make truly superb partners to Château de Pizay’s Morgon. Coq au Vin, a Burgundian classic, is certainly one of the region’s signature dishes and a delightful companion to this wine, too. But what may come as a surprise is how well grilled or poached salmon pairs with Morgon. Fine cheeses provide additional opportunities to enjoy Château de Pizay’s 2018 Morgon. Bon Appétit!

In France, Beaujolais and the world’s finest cheeses are constant companions. It is no surprise then that Château de Pizay’s 2018 Morgon provides the ideal partner to pair with exceptional cheeses from around the world. Munster, Raclette, Fontina, and Port Salut are just a few of our favorite cheeses to serve with Château de Pizay’s exceptional cru Morgon. To discover more about the world’s finest cheeses contact us at www.cheesemonthclub.com.

The majestic Château de Pizay is one of the oldest and most illustrious estates of Beaujolais. It comprises 180 acres of vines from Regnie and Morgon, two of the ten great cru villages of Beaujolais. The oldest records regarding this eminent property date to 1030, and since the 14th century the imposing keep of Château de Pizay has stood atop the foothills of the Beaujolais Mountains of southern Burgundy. For centuries its wines have been admired by legions of connoisseurs and beloved by wine drinkers from far and wide.

Under the dedicated tutelage of Pascal Dufaitre, the estate’s current director, winemaking at Château de Pizay combines tradition with the use of stainless steel, semi carbonic fermentation (a traditional form of whole berry fermentation) and modern temperature control methods to ensure preservation of the fruit and freshness in the wines. And indeed, the hallmarks of Château de Pizay’s splendid offerings are pure fruit flavors, elegance, freshness, and a depth of flavor rarely seen in most other Beaujolais wines. Morgon and Regnie are the estate’s top offerings, but Château de Pizay also produces a delicious Beaujolais Blanc and Beaujolais, all of which are bottled in the distinctive Pizay bottle.

Today, Château de Pizay is not only one of Beaujolais’s premier wine estates; it is also a luxury hotel with a fine restaurant where guests are able to visit the magnificent old cellars that have hosted many famous banquets. The château and grounds are beautifully maintained, including classic formal 18th century gardens with sculpted hedges.

Beaujolais is situated in the extreme south of Burgundy. It is a vast region of nearly two hundred villages and communes, which are spread out on varying subsoil and individual terroir. Unofficially, Beaujolais forms the dividing line between northern and southern France. Straddling the unspecified equivalent of the American Mason-Dixon Line, the wines of Beaujolais flow in copious quantities north to Paris and south to Lyon and beyond.

In spite of inherent variations in quality, which reflect the differences in soil composition, altitude, and level of production among the region’s thousands of growers, one common denominator comes to fore in Beaujolais – the Gamay grape. Gamay provides the defining character and flavor of Beaujolais, and nowhere is this more the case than in the 10 cru villages of Beaujolais. Although wines bearing a Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages AOC can provide very pleasant drinking, the ten cru villages comprise the heart of Beaujolais and offer the consumer the finest Gamay wines in the world. In addition, each of these ten townships possesses a special terroir and individual set of characteristics that make for memorable drinking. These 10 cru villages of Beaujolais are Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Chiroubles, St. Amour, Fleurie, Regnie, Chenas, Morgon, Julienas, and Moulin-à-Vent. Morgon, Julienas, and Moulin-à-Vent are widely acknowledged to be the finest, fullest and most Burgundy-like of the wines of Beaujolais, and they enjoy an enviable reputation for ageing up to five years or more in bottle with excellent results.