Jean-Paul Thévenet Morgon 2007 “Vieilles Vignes.”  Imagine the great slope of eastern French wines running from Burgundy down along the river systems of the Saône and the Rhône into the steep, dry hills of the south.  From north to south, the style and flavor change from the highly mannered, clarion fruit of the pinot noir, bright and deep by turn, to the big, unbridled wines of the Rhône valley.  In the middle, in a niche all of their own, lie the blessed villages of Beaujolais.  Of these, Villié-Morgon is the primordial cru.

Thévenet “Vieilles Vignes” is a frankly beautiful and simple expression of the Morgon style.  The nose is soft and heavy with fruit, but fleeting.  Evanescent. You will want to be quick. The taste is smooth and plummy, and  it darkens towards the end.  There is almost no tannic bite.  There is sweetness without sugar.  The taste is clear, never candied, uninhibited and rich.

The gamay noir vines of M. Thëvent are very old and produce small quantities of fruit.  Gamay is more often known for riotous abundance.  The grape was once banned from Burgundy because it was thought to be too common.   But raised with the goal of intensity of flavor, gamay produces a wine of full, dark intensity and  great joy.

You will find “Vieilles Vignes”  at Dedalus for $34.25.

Tuta 8/5/09