A tad alkaline, saline, and generally reductive in the nose, Piron’s 2009 Beaujolais Blanc nevertheless opens up to reveal a surprisingly soft, generous mouth-feel and personality, with fresh apple and inner-mouth perfume of honeysuckle, and lily-of-the-valley, as well as a palpably low acid yet satisfyingly juicy as well as chalk- and salt-tinged finish. It will be for enjoying over the coming year. 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