The Piron 2009 Morgon Douby – tasted assembled from tank (where it was raised), and named for the northeastern edge of its appellation, bordering Fleurie, that features classic, sand-like weathered granite – smells fantastically of cassis, Maine blueberry, smoky-sweet machine oil, metal shavings, and graphite. Seamlessly rich, quite voluminous, yet persistently, indeed irresistibly refreshing, this supple beauty is nonetheless suffused with fine-grained tannin finishes with lip-smacking salinity and otherwise memorable minerality. It will be worth following for at least 4-5 years, but I would on no account miss out on its youthful pleasures. Dominique Piron – for more about whom consult my report in issue 184 – did not begin harvesting his 2009s until September 7 and then worked at it for two weeks (even though his crop was radically reduced by the hail that afflicted nearly every commune in which he grows grapes). Despite the warm weather and reduced crop, only a few of Piron’s individual lots – and none of his finished blends – exceeded 14% alcohol. He segregated an unprecedented number of different Morgons from 2009, but this isn’t merely a case of his next-door neighbor Jean-Marc Burgaud’s practices rubbing off: the distinctive quality of Piron’s five cuvees justifies their number – indeed, this represents far and away the finest Piron collection I have tasted (granting that the assembled wines were still all in tank when I visited in April) and a confirmation that this is among the region’s outstanding, top value-delivering addresses.Importers include Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559 1040 and Williams Corner Wine, Charlottesville, VA; tel. (434) 566 7079