The Beaujolais (Not Noveau)!

The Beaujolais is a wine region which belongs to Borgougne. Even though, it has nothing in common with it. The climate is different, the way of producing wines and also the grapes. The rest of Borgougne is identifiable with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while the Beaujolais is the home of Gamay. The biggest portion of production is focused on the red wines even if, in small quantities, also white wines are produced, from Chardonnay and Aligoté grapes. The wines from this area are classified in three categories of increasing quality: Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and Beaujolais-Cru. Differently from other regions of France, in the Beaujolais the word “cru” is not used to defined specific vineyards but it indicates one of the 10 villages reckoned as the best of the area. This 10 villages are: Broully, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Broully, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié and Saint-Amour. One element that these villages have in common is the granite soil but the flavor and characteristics of the related wines vary significantly due to other factors. Just to give an example, wines from Morgon have a deep GRANATO colour and are quite structured with ripe fruits notes, spices and “mild” tannins. In Broully the colour tends to the ruby one, the structure is less “important” and the notes are more those of red fruits and plums. I had a very special tastings about Beaujolais wines, an experience that have enriched me a lot. A recommendation. When you are going to make a similar tasting, always start with the non-crus and proceed with the crus. And, obviously, the white wines first.   NON CRUS: Beaujolais Blanc, Clos de Rochebonne 2013 Chateau Thivin, Claude Geoffray Some curiosity: grapes, 100% Chardonnay, are grown in the most natural way; the fermentation occurs in barrels where have rested before 1 to 10 wines. After one year in the bottle you can taste stone fruits like the apricot (love it). I also found some honey notes. The Chateu Thivin is located on the slope of Broully Mont.   Beaujolais 2013 Les Griottes Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine Du Vissoux “L’art de faire le vin au plus près du raisin” Some curiosity: gamay grapes are produced from 15-35 years old vines. Les Griottes means “small cherries”, so it’s easy to get that the most dominant tasting notes are those of red fruits. The wine itself it’s light, it’s almost refreshing. The fruit acidity plays its role.   CRUS Beaujolais Saint-Amour 2012 Jean-Francois Trichard Domaine Des Pierres Some curiosity: the palate is plainly fresh thanks to the good acidity of raspberry and cherry fruits. Just a point: the soil of Saint Amour is a little bit different from the rest of the region because the granite gives room to the clay and limestone. Beaujolais Chénas 2012 Cuvée Vieilles Vignes Hubert Lapierre Some curiosity: family run estates on two crus: Chénas and Moulin-à-Vent. Of the Chénas they own 280 ha which give birth to wines with “cassis and framboises” aromas, depending also on the aging (from 3 to 5 years). This wine is ideal in my opinion with seasoned cheeses and has to be served at a temperature of 15° (I would avoid at 17° as it’s recommended but it depends on the taste!) Beaujolais Chirobles 2013 Domaine Cheysson Some curiosity: honestly I didn’t like it 100%. I just wrote in my notebook that fruity notes were very rich and also the intensity of the wine was notable but I didn’t write down specific notes. Maybe I should try it again to remodulate my judgment? Beaujolais Brouilly “Pierreux” 2013 Pierre-Marie Chermette Domaine Du Vissouxù Some curiosity: this is one of the most popular wines in Brouilly. There are plenty of 2008 and 2013 vintages and I have tried 2013. Pierreux is located at the foot of the Mount Brouilly and the name comes from “pierres” (stones). As traditional Gamay grape you can find some floreal notes (violet) and then riped red fruits, nothing new but tasty. Pierre-Marie Chermette is a great oenologist from Dijon university. Lucky him ;) Beaujolais Juliénas 2011  Clos de Haute-Combe – V.Audras Some curiosity: Juliénas, the flagship of Beaujolais. It’s said that wines from this region age like Burgundy? Floreal and ripe fruits. Good structure. Well done Vincent!