It’s a Morgon Monday!

Jonathan Pey used to make some of the best Oakville Cabs money could buy. From a vineyard next door to Screaming Eagle. The label? 🥁 Textbook.

So, when The Tasting Panel called this wine “a textbook example of a Cru that displays a strong sense of place,” we had to ask. Pun intended?

But then he walked away from Napa. From California. And fell in love with Beaujolais. Now his passion is Cru-level, single-vineyard Morgon from 70-year-old vines. Napa is still in therapy.

His first vintage, 2022, got serious acclaim, and rightfully sold out with ease.

Today he’s back with the 2023. Wine Spectator called it “outstanding,” explaining that “these 10 ‘classified-growth’ Crus, including Morgon, are located in the northern half of the region, produce world-class wines which are serious - and seriously delicious - wines with impressive flavor concentration and the ability to age. Recommended examples include Domaine Jonathan Pey… A densely packed, salty Morgon, with richness currant pâte de fruit, violet and black licorice, all woven with earth tones of warm soil and briny mineral…”

But why Beaujolais?

A just-published Forbes article has the answer: “there is very little in common between that Beaujolais Nouveau and the more serious, oak-aged versions, especially from the 10 Crus of Beaujolais. And if you’ve only experienced the former, we’re here to convince you to drink the latter… the eponymous Domaine Jonathan Pey has just released its first bottling… the cofounder of Textbook in Napa Valley, explained to us that he was drawn to Beaujolais’s Morgon and Fleurie crus because of their pink-granite and schist soils, steep slopes, altitude, rich winemaking histories, and abundant rainfall.”

The vines went in back in 1953. The pink granite under them gives these wines a terroir all their own.

Here’s the part that reads like fate. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “When Pey first visited the vineyard that he ended up purchasing, it felt like fate. The seller was Maison Louis Jadot - one of the largest players in Burgundy and Beaujolais, and, incidentally, Pey’s first industry. That, coupled with the extraordinary physical features of the site, made it seem like this was meant to be. He could hardly believe that he was able to afford it.”

The result, dear Operatives? A gorgeous Beaujolais that could give many a fine red Burgundy a run for the money in a blind tasting. This is Gamay at its best. Dangerously drinkable and made to be enjoyed young.

Still need convincing? The New York Times says “Morgon Cru wines are insanely delicious and easy to drink… they have depth as well, complexity that goes beyond deliciousness.”

Nailed it. Look where passion can lead a man!

Secure your bottles.