2009 Domaine Calot Morgon Vieilles Vignes Réserve

Another late March bottling that I tasted in mid-April, the Calot 2009 Morgon Vieilles Vignes – fermented at lower temperatures than the corresponding Cuvee Jeanne and Tete de Cuvee, and originating in the Corcelette sector – is matured in a mixture of foudre and tank (whereas their other cuvees are raised exclusively in tank). Decadent lily perfume mingles with red and black raspberry on the nose; and on a polished palate, hints of game and underbrush as well as toasted nuts and blond tobacco all lend a surprisingly evolved sense of complexity. Here, too, the finish is slightly diminished from the recent filtration and bottling, yet still impressive. It will be worth following for 3-4 years. An unfiltered bottling of this batch will be sold by North Berkeley Imports as “Cuvee Unique,” but unfortunately, every last bottle of it had been packed and palletized when I visited the domaine, and I did not have chance to secure one stateside. I did not taste with Jean and Francois Calot last year, nor have I tasted any of their 2008s, and Jean Calot laments their relative absence from the U.S. market of late, but his consistently modestly-priced Morgons – largely from holdings in the Corcelette and Douby sectors of the appellation – are always worthy of attention and never more so than in the 2009 vintage, when, interestingly, the wines topped out at 13.6% alcohol despite their having all been harvested after the 12th of September. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93