The Cellar: Beaujolais for the Season
Steffen Rasch, GoLocalProv Wine Critic
The Cellar: Beaujolais for the Season
Fall is slowly turning into winter and you know what that means: the 2011 Beaujolais Nouveaus are on the shelves! I encourage you to taste a couple of different versions this season as I believe that there are great values out there in this category. But first, some Beaujolais basics. While all Beaujolais are made from the soft and fruity grape Gamay, you should know that there are many types of Beaujolais; simple and straightforward Beaujolais, the more serious Beaujolais-Villages, and at the top, Cru Beaujolais. It is also important to note that Beaujolais and the ‘Beaujolais Nouveau’ style are distinctly different. The Nouveau is young and grapey, while the Cru Beaujolais can be big and complex, as we are about to find out.
2011 Albert Bichot Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
When a producer of ‘Beaujolais-Village’ wines (an appellation covering 39 villages and communes within the larger appellation of Beaujolais) makes a ‘Nouveau’, they are allowed to label the wine ‘Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau’. The maximum permitted yields for this appellation is 2.6 tons per acre. These tighter restrictions often translate into wines that are more concentrated in flavor, i.e. wines generally considered to be of higher quality than regular Nouveau. That said, this is still a light, grapey wine.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWine Enthusiast Magazine recently reviewed many of the 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau releases in which the Beaujolais-Village Nouveau from Albert Bichot scored a very solid 85 points. The wine’s aromas are its most interesting elements, as its rich and fresh red fruits practically jump out of the glass. The wine is a burst of fruit, which turns slightly sour on the mid-palate before making a smooth transition to a finish that is long and delicious. While I do enjoy this style of wine, I am not one of its biggest fans – it’s just a little too simple. If you want to experience the sincere expression of Gamay seek out a Cru Beaujolais, like the 2009 Cote De Brouilly from Jean-Paul Brun reviewed earlier this year.
2008 Domaine Dupre Regnie “Haute Ronze” Vieilles Vignes
...Or try to find this week’s second wine; the 2008 Regnie “Haute Ronze” from Domaine Dupre. I especially enjoy the wines from Regine because this area’s mineral-rich granite soils tend to make wines with more body; wines that
The grapes that go into Jean-Michel Dupre’s Haute Ronze ‘Vieilles Vignes’ (meaning old vines) are sourced from 40 year old vines located at more than 1000 feet elevation. Unlike the Nouveau, this wine needs time to aerate. Once it opens up it displays interesting earthy and dark cherry aromas. This is a great food wine as it displays both bright acid and solid tannins. With the earthy and dark cherry flavors, this wine is quite the treat at only $15 and a great example of the unbelievable values Cru Beaujolais often has to offer.
Enjoy!
Steffen Rasch CSW is ready to answer any wine-related questions, comments or concerns you may have. Feel free to email him at [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.
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