Beaujolais-villages Nouveau Wine

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  November 2009

  Mommessin Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2009

  Snoothrank: Starting at $13^.07

  Appearance in the glass very dark and reminiscent of the splendid 2009 vintage - reputed to be the best in 50 years. The depth of black fruit and cultivated violet flowers on the nose is impressive for a new wine. Nice candy-floss and blackberry flavors that just begin to intrigue... Read moreAppearance in the glass very dark and reminiscent of the splendid 2009 vintage - reputed to be the best in 50 years. The depth of black fruit and cultivated violet flowers on the nose is impressive for a new wine. Nice candy-floss and blackberry flavors that just begin to intrigue the palate but then disappear in a typically short finish. If this is an indication of the quality of the better crus, consider seeking them out over the next 2 years!    (hide)

  Wine review by zufrieden

  
  
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  November 2009

  Moillard Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2009

  Snoothrank:

  Transparent, bright purple-red in the glass. This wine is pretty simple and straightforward with notes of banana, cherries, and other red berries. Light-bodied with very bright acidity.

  Wine review by ttutony

  
  

• November 2009

  Beaujolais Nouveau can be delicious with lots of red fruit and flowers on the nose. The short finish and lack of pretense seems entirely appropriate as the enjoyment of rapidly fermented macerated wines is supposed to be simple and filled with easy conviviality. And it helps the... Read moreBeaujolais Nouveau can be delicious with lots of red fruit and flowers on the nose. The short finish and lack of pretense seems entirely appropriate as the enjoyment of rapidly fermented macerated wines is supposed to be simple and filled with easy conviviality. And it helps the bottom line of many of your favorite Burgundian négociants... The problem is that the price for a decent, well-made example has crept up over the years and some cheaper bottles taste more like stems than grapes. I find that, today at least, you can usually get better luck with Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau - with or without the Commune name. I almost always drink a bottle of Nouveau upon release; it's a fun thing to do, usually pleasant, harmless and a bit indicative of the vintage. I like this latter bit of information because I do indeed enjoy Beaujolais from the better communes like Fleury, Moulin-à-Vent and Morgon. And contrary to popular misconception, some of these wines can improve in good vintages with 5 years or more bottle aging. So enjoy. Without guilt.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Happy Beujolais Noveau!! by zufrieden

  
  

• October 2009

  Experiments in the Vegetarian Kitchen with Beaujolais and Butternut Mac & Cheese Karen UlrichIMBIBE NEW YORK Tucked away just south of Mâcon, at the tail end of Burgundy, sits Beaujolais—the oft neglected, yet vigorous region devoted to the red grape Gamay.  Capable of producing... Read moreExperiments in the Vegetarian Kitchen with Beaujolais and Butternut Mac & Cheese Karen UlrichIMBIBE NEW YORK Tucked away just south of Mâcon, at the tail end of Burgundy, sits Beaujolais—the oft neglected, yet vigorous region devoted to the red grape Gamay.  Capable of producing as much wine a year as the entire region of Burgundy, Beaujolais is typically associated with the November release of its potentially reputation-scaring Beaujolais Nouveau—a light and fruity simple red wine that’s meant to be drunk just months after it’s bottled.  But if this isn’t to one’s liking, one should continue north, with her eyes on the horizon beyond the practices of carbonic maceration, chaptalization (the addition of sugar to increase the alcohol level or abv) and short fermentation; past the rich, cool limestone and clay of Bas Beaujolais, and across the Nizerand River where the soil, landscape, and wine, undergo great change. Here, one will see the flat plains of the south give way to rolling hills of granite schist, where the vines receive more singular attention, and Burgundian-like wine making is practiced.  There are 38 communes classified as Beaujolais-Villages, and ten crus, including—Julienas, Moulin-a-Vent, Morgon, Brouilly and Fleurie.  And while some age-worthy wines are produced in these appellations, these are not the wines around which I created my vegetarian recipes this month.  Since most meatless dishes stem from healthy peasant stock, I chose to harness this spirit by choosing affordable wines ($15 or less) that are suitable to drink and pair with the everyday meal. Why Beaujolais?   It’s a wine that many Americans bring to the Thanksgiving table, just a heartbeat away.  And while the traditional turkey fare of this meal doesn’t interest me, a light bodied, red wine with low tannins and high acidity is a dream to pair in the Vegetarian kitchen. For the recipes I began with a list of vegetarian ingredients that are known to pair well with Beaujolais or Gamay—fennel, onion, leeks, potato, eggs, capers, bell peppers, nuts, pumpkin, salad and cheeses that include cheddar, feta, and Swiss.  And then I uncorked a bottle of 2008 Beaujolais L’Ancien Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorees.   It’s an exception from Sud Beaujolais, because Jean-Paul uses natural yeasts, minimal or no chaptalization or filtering, and little sulfites.  When poured, subtle aromas of red cherry—slightly candied—and earth rise from the glass, and when sipped, the red fruits (cherry and cranberry) are wholly integrated with the other elements.  The finish is dry and earthy, and the acidity lingers straight through to the end.  It’s super refreshing, especially when served slightly chilled, at 54-59 degrees.  For this bottle I created a dish of roasted green beans, red onion, feta, and hardboiled eggs, with a dressing of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and coriander and cumin.  It’s a perfect match.  The wine retains its bright fruit and acidity without biting back, while the lemon compliments the wine’s acidity.  And though the pairing is harmonious, there’s a silent display of fireworks that illuminates both fruit and acidity, like a torch in a cave.  On the finish, the wine follows in the footsteps of the suggestive dressing, developing notes of spice. My second pairing failed miserably, both as a recipe and with the wine.  I’ll only mention that it included capers, feta, roasted red peppers, broccoli, and toasted walnuts; and that it didn’t work—it’s a tinny combination that turns the Beaujolais tangy and astringent, like under-ripe fruit. Thankfully, recipe number three—Butternut Mac and Cheese—is delightful, though it took a few attempts to get the oven times, textures, and temperatures right. To download a printable PDF of this recipe please follow this link. Butternut Mac and Cheese 1 medium butternut squash (3 lbs.) 3 tbs. olive oil 2 cups of chopped onions 1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente 2 tbs. butter 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 cups grated cheese (I used 3 cheddar and 1 cup brought from Amsterdam by Lee) 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1 1/2 tbs. salt pepper to taste grated Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven at 450˚, cut butternut squash in half, and place it facedown on an oiled sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven, let the squash cool, and scoop out the flesh. In a pan, heat 2 tbs. of oil, and cook the onions until they’re sweaty—still a bit firm and crunchy—approximately 5 minutes. Mix the onions in a bowl together with the reserved squash, milk and cream, grated cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Toss the al dente pasta with 2 tbs. of butter and combine this with the mix. Pour into an ungreased 9x11 (or 9x13) pan and bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 400˚.  Serve hot. The end result is creamy with contrasting flavors—the sweet and salty earth of the squash; the onions, slightly firm and candied, pop against a background of creamy savory cheese—it’s hearty and healthy, whether eaten alone or with a salad of baby greens and mustard vinaigrette dressing.  The first time I prepared this dish, I paired it with 2008 Beaujolais-Villages La Lutine Domaine Des Terres Vivantes—a wine with smoky minerality and a petticoat of cherry.  It’s silky, and slightly floral with fruit that lingers on the finish; and as the wind blew through my window, wafts of fruit rose from the glass that sat on the table beside me.  I love the minerality on the nose, and when paired with the first round of Butternut Mac and Cheese, La Lutine compliments the squash, rendering it sweet and fruity.  The sweaty onions are lively and the cherry flavors in the wine are highlighted against a backdrop of cheddar cheese.  The pairing is like two new lovers walking hand in hand beneath a canopy of fall colored leaves; the couple not yet wholly integrated after years in each other’s company—each maintaining harmonious but separate identities. For the second round, I opened a bottle of 2007 Château du Chatelard Beaujolais-Villages Vielles Vignes—a more mature Beaujolais, both in age and texture.  Here, one finds dark cherries sprinkled on a damp forest floor.  While the acidity is not electric, it’s enough to keep the rustic tannins in check.  Near the finish, the fruit goes back in time, to appear—if only for a moment—once again young.  And while I enjoy but do not love the wine on it’s own, it pairs perfectly with the Butternut Mac and Cheese. As with the last bottle, the wine accentuates the sweetness of the dish.  The tannins that once seemed somewhat out of place, are replaced with clove spice; and the earthy elements of the wine now have a role with purpose.  The onions, squash, and nutmeg are earthy and sweet, and the wine compliments these notes returning in kind, a love letter stamped with earth and fruit.     (hide)

  From the article Experiments in the Vegetarian Kitchen with Beaujolais and Butternut Mac & Cheese

  
  

• June 2009

  So naturally what I mean by that title is,that much, if not most, of the wine from Beaujolais is wonderful stuff marred by the phenomenon that is Beaujolais Nouveau. The marketing concept of producing wines in a blaze of forced glory, and using techniques that make the wine a shadow... Read moreSo naturally what I mean by that title is,that much, if not most, of the wine from Beaujolais is wonderful stuff marred by the phenomenon that is Beaujolais Nouveau. The marketing concept of producing wines in a blaze of forced glory, and using techniques that make the wine a shadow of it's self, has propelled this particular wine to the tops of recognition, if the bottom of appreciation. Beaujolais is now a wine to drink from Thanksgiving until perhaps Christmas, as a novelty, the first wine of the year, and without thought, since this particular interpretation of the wine offers very little stimulative value in that realm. So what then am I talking about? I am talking about the Beaujolais that seems at times to have more in similar with the great Burgundies that grow just to the north than other wines based on the Gamay grape. Wines that have a wonderful purity of floral scents, violets and roses, that compliment their slightly herbal stemmy notes and crisp, direct fruits. Wines that speak with a fine transparency, allowing the grape, terroir and winemaker each to have their say yet have no voice obscuring another. OK, that last line could be used to describe any great wine. Hey did you see that point I made right there?  Yes I called Beaujolais a GREAT WINE, it ain't all Nouveau you see. So we spent 2 weeks here at Snooth tasting through a dozen wines in an effort to share with our members the wines that together make Beaujolais a region worth exploring. Our tastings included simple Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages and the crus so that, together, we could learn just what the labels on the bottles mean. Our second weeks tasting was more casual in nature as a group of us tasted the wines and exchanged thoughts in a freewheeling round table. In such a setting it was more difficult to get a real handle on each persons thoughts but there was a consensus that emerged. Now this is a bit of a different take, on basically the same wines, since we had the wines with some light food, wonderful cheeses, olive scented crackers and mixed nuts. In this setting the best wines continued to shine, The consensus top wines were no surprise. Roughly in order they were: 2007 Vissoux Pierre Chermette Brouilly 2007 Thenevet Grain & Granite Regnie 2007 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie 2007 Domaine de Billards Barbet St. Amour    2007 Georges Trichard Chenas     What was a bit of a surprise was that all the other wines found fans from the simple Pizay to the ethereal and gently fruited Lapierre, each wine made someone happy, though the wood on the  Jadot was still off-putting. About that Jadot, in fact the second go-round had a 2006 in place of the 2007. The wine was all together more appealing even if the wood remained obvious. Perhaps the vintage's character, perhaps a sign of the benefit one can derive from ageing Beaujolais a bit. In the coming days I will dip into my cellar and take a look how a few bottles of Beaujolais are ageing, 2 from 2003,  and one each from 2002 and 1996. Beaujolais is full of surprises yet one thing that will not surprise me is if these wines are wonderful and bear and even more striking resemblance with Burgundy! On that old canard, while Beaujolais may, or may not, really resemble Burgundy one thing is for sure. For $20 one can certainly drink a whole lot better in Beaujolais! And without further ado allow me to relate what it was we discovered. I've included my notes below and an impression from each of the tasters that participated in our first weeks blind tasting. Beaujolais Blind Tasting Flight 1 2007 Chateau du Pizay Beaujolais A bit stemmy-spicy on the nose with hints of earth, roses and a marshmallow edge. Soft pure raspberry fruit and nice zesty acidity make this a nice basic Beaujolais and a light red perfect for serving with a chill this summer. 85pts Philip - strawberry, good structure Lance - strawberry, mild spice Baratunde - butter and smooth Dave - flat, lost me at the end Sophie - quite fruit forward, almost sweet, Evan - indistinct, herbaceous on the palate 2007 Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais Villages Coming from gentle hills with a bit of rocky terrain this smoky, tobacco scented Beaujolais Villages is a step up from simple Beaujolais. This is a bit mineral toned on the palate with a bit of forced, extracted tannin that adds a touch of bitterness to the otherwise dried herbal, strawberry flavors. I bit too inky and blocky for my palate. 83pts Philip - gamier, tobacco Lance - not very complex, didn’t hold my interest Baratunde - sharp and mildy spicy Dave - chalky, strawberry, Sophie - mineral, younger vines Evan - fuller and actually sweet 2007 Vissoux Pierre Chermette Brouilly Brouilly is the largest Cru in Beaujolais. Chermette produces natural wines and this is a beauty! A bouquet full of violets, crystallized black raspberry, rich forest soil, and aromatic candle wax leads to a gorgeous palate full of sweet fruit. This is wonderfully precise with great balance and a tense crisp, tannic note that frames the wonderfully transparent fruit. On the long finish a hint of medicinal herbs adds depth to the fruit and finale return of violets. Beaujolais doesn't get much better than this. 92pts Philip - lot of fruit, floral violet, topnotes Lance - mild sweet fruit, liked the finish Baratunde - sharper, dryer, Dave -cherry candy, violets Sophie - softer fuller approachable style Evan - rich nose, , earthiness that I liked Flight 2 2007 Domaine des Terres Dorees Jean-Paul Brun Cotes de Brouilly     The Cotes de Brouilly is located within Brouilly, on old volcanic slopes and generally produces deep, dark fruit. This is decidedly herbal and stemmy on the nose with medicinal floral tones and hints of green peppercorn and juniper. Rich and well balanced in the mouth with noticeable fruit tannin balanced by a nice acid spine. Some woodsy notes recall the nose and are joined by black berry and black currant fruit. This finishes with a touch of Ricola and is bit shorter than I would like but is complex and complete. 88pts Philip - simple fruity, a little iron on the finish Lance - a bit spicy on the nose, nice finish Baratunde - medicinal, hot Dave - strawberry, bitter cola Sophie - strange milk chocolate lactic Cadbury nutbar, firm and enjoyable tannins Evan - tea tannins, earth, raspberry 2007 Thenevet Grain & Granite Regnie Regnie is the youngest Cru of Beaujolais, dating from 1988 but is part of the historic home of Beaujolais. This has superb aromatics with balsamic, candle wax tones almost verging on eucalyptus with a roast meaty edge and layers of intense and complex violet pastille and wild berry fruits. This smells like old vines. This has big weight but is not weighty do to the incredible balance and precision that makes for lovely depth of fruit with a raspberry, slight roasted strawberry tone yet crystal clear transparency. I love the quality of the tannins here, they are soft and like flannel, mouth filling. A nice mineral wash cleanses the palate and leads to a long finish that ends with a wild strawberry flourish. This is simply great Beaujolais! 94pts Philip - mushroom, black cherry, blood Lance - , tea flavor, good Baratunde - woody, toopia Dave - violets, white pepper ripe cherry Sophie - rich fruit on the palate, savory, thyme Evan - more herbaceous, raspberry in the back of the mouth 2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon Morgon produces rich, earthy wine that can easily be mistaken for Burgundy. Lapierre is a great biodynamic producer. This offers up notes of beet roots, dusty earth, anise and aggressive herb and medicinal notes. With a very light, natural and elegant in the mouth this is refreshing but quite herbal and almost vegetal on the palate with a decided green streak and some granitic minerality but not much fruit. 84pts Philip - vegetal, mineral, earthy dry finish Lance - smoky nose, mild but complex Baratunde - fruity Dave - raw meats, white pepper, raspberry Sophie - soft light fruit on the palate, lots of Gamay character Evan - candy cherry nose, very flat, almost watery Flight 3 2006 Christophe Pacalet Chiroubles Chiroubles comes from vines at higher elevation that produce delicate wines and Pacalet's minimalist style of winemaking preserves this ethereal quality. A touch funky on the nose with a gamy edge to the wooly, wet cotton, rainwater tones that feature an intriguing touch of dried thyme. This is a bit more structured in the mouth with lots of sweet yet indistinct fruit that is slightly pruny. It is very aromatic in the mouth but a bit short on the finish. 86pts Philip - - mushroomy nose, tobacco, plums Lance - lemony nose, nice balance and fruit, Baratunde - soft and gentle feel on the nose, gummi bears Dave - really perfumed with sweet resinous flowers, gamy and attractive Sophie - high toned floral nose, savory finish is cool and sleek Evan - nose hit me, leather, cherry, hint of tar in the background 2007 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Fleurie is always one of my favorite Crus, full of plush, deep fruit that takes a couple of years in the cellar to peak. Once one gets past the noticeable hit of sulfur this is dark and slightly resinous on the nose with bark and fruit tones in a masculine, cologne-scented register that includes a touch of campfire and very lovely subtle vegetal tones and medicinal herbs. In the mouth this feels a touch closed at first but with mouthwatering acid and hints of bright red fruits and red currants with a nice iron edge. The youthful tannins are a touch stiff and pop on the finish with a touch of almond nuttiness that offers contrast to the nice dark fruit return with it's touch of fig and darker cherry fruit. A bigger style of wine but complete if a touch blocky at the moment. 89pts Philip - smooth and supply, cherry notes Lance - dusty nose, good forward fruit Baratunde - did not like, chemical maybe sulfur Dave - sour ripe cherries, black currant, medicinal Sophie - odd nose pencil lead/shaving, fairly Gamay, Evan - black tea spice, berries, soft tannins 2007 Jadot Chateau des Jacques Moulin a Vent  Moulin a Vent produces low yielding vines and powerful wines from rocky soil in the north of Beaujolais. This is sweet smelling with predominantly woodsy tones of white mushroom and gardenia. There's lots of fruit on the palate, which is a bit sweet though an herbal edge offers a bit of relief from the onslaught of prominent black gapey fruit. This ends with a bit of an extracted matte feel and some wood tannin that mars the finish and adds a bit of bitterness. 84pts Philip - a lot of butter and oak on the nose Lance - grassy, rosemary, chalky finish Baratunde - acid, maybe lactic Dave - black currants long finish Sophie - not as expressive, nice but ambivalent Evan - burnt cherry, hint of toasted wood Flight 4 2007 Duboeuf Chateau des Capitans Julienas Julienas produces elegant and spicy wines from a region that gets its name from Julius Caesar! This is dusty and mineral with a big bay leaf tone and a touch of seared beef but it lacks some liveliness. On entry this is fiercely acidic for this ripeness yet very simple with big black fruits. This finishes with some chemical notes and I can't say that there's much here for me to like. 80pts Philip - Bovril, tight at first, leather but now it’s plain cherries Lance -- tobacco nose, black currant cinnamon, Baratunde - very strong overpowering cherry Dave - very ripe cherry, vanilla, black olive Sophie - sweet black cherry and licorice excessively candied viscous Evan - not much, hints of candy, soft tannin 2007 Georges Trichard Chenas Chenas is the smallest of the crus, many of the vineyards that formed the appellation are now part of the Moulin au Vent appellation. With waxy red fruits, dried apricot, blond tobacco, spicy, wild red berry fruits, a touch of tea and a hint of dried cranberry on the nose this is compelling to smell. The mouth feel is suave and smooth with lovely tannins nicely balanced with bright acids. There are strong cranberry tones on the palate with a touch of tea that is nice and measured and leads to a finish that has good length and offers a hint of cherry pit bitterness that adds cut, This is not super complex but a style I really like to drink. 91pts Philip - nice nose pine needles and foresty, riverbed, Lance - spicy, a bit woody, tannic on the finish Baratunde - very spicy a lot of pepper Dave - lush fruit, toasted nuttiness, and diluted texture Sophie - lighter nose a touch vegetal, more tannin not completely well integrated Evan - - gaminess, toast, sweet mixed berry 2007 Domaine de Billards Barbet St. Amour St. Amour combines great fruit, spice, structure from the northern border of the region. A romantic choice! This starts out reticent on the nose with an underlying natural sweetness of dried raspberry fruit and just a hint of earth and spice with a touch of grassiness. Fairly fleshy and round in the mouth with lovely depth. This is fairly powerful yet transparent and really bright with wonderfully precise fruits that lean to the black cherry, black currant end of the spectrum. The finish is really long and fruit driven but refreshing with a lovely final of almost gamy wild fruits. This read more...might be a touch dilute but the appeal is undeniable. 91pts Philip - very plummy, fruity throughout Lance - floral nose, seemed young, didn’t open up much Baratunde - deep dark plum Dave - gamy raspberry, prune, and cherry Sophie - feels muted and dilute, hard to taste, at this Evan - hint of cherry with toast, earth tobacco Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Beaujolais it ain't all Nouveau by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• June 2009

  Beaujolais it ain't all Nouveau So naturally what I mean by that title is,that much, if not most, of the wine from Beaujolais is wonderful stuff marred by the phenomenon that is Beaujolais Nouveau. The marketing concept of producing wines in a blaze of forced glory, and using... Read moreBeaujolais it ain't all Nouveau So naturally what I mean by that title is,that much, if not most, of the wine from Beaujolais is wonderful stuff marred by the phenomenon that is Beaujolais Nouveau. The marketing concept of producing wines in a blaze of forced glory, and using techniques that make the wine a shadow of it's self, has propelled this particular wine to the tops of recognition, if the bottom of appreciation. Beaujolais is now a wine to drink from Thanksgiving until perhaps Christmas, as a novelty, the first wine of the year, and without thought, since this particular interpretation of the wine offers very little stimulative value in that realm. So what then am I talking about? I am talking about the Beaujolais that seems at times to have more in similar with the great Burgundies that grow just to the north than other wines based on the Gamay grape. Wines that have a wonderful purity of floral scents, violets and roses, that compliment their slightly herbal stemmy notes and crisp, direct fruits. Wines that speak with a fine transparency, allowing the grape, terroir and winemaker each to have their say yet have no voice obscuring another. OK, that last line could be used to describe any great wine. Hey did you see that point I made right there?  Yes I called Beaujolais a GREAT WINE, it ain't all Nouveau you see. So we spent 2 weeks here at Snooth tasting through a dozen wines in an effort to share with our members the wines that together make Beaujolais a region worth exploring. Our tastings included simple Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages and the crus so that, together, we could learn just what the labels on the bottles mean. Our second weeks tasting was more casual in nature as a group of us tasted the wines and exchanged thoughts in a freewheeling round table. In such a setting it was more difficult to get a real handle on each persons thoughts but there was a consensus that emerged. Now this is a bit of a different take, on basically the same wines, since we had the wines with some light food, wonderful cheeses, olive scented crackers and mixed nuts. In this setting the best wines continued to shine, The consensus top wines were no surprise. Roughly in order they were: 2007 Vissoux Pierre Chermette Brouilly 2007 Thenevet Grain & Granite Regnie 2007 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie 2007 Domaine de Billards Barbet St. Amour    2007 Georges Trichard Chenas     What was a bit of a surprise was that all the other wines found fans from the simple Pizay to the ethereal and gently fruited Lapierre, each wine made someone happy, though the wood on the  Jadot was still off-putting. About that Jadot, in fact the second go-round had a 2006 in place of the 2007. The wine was all together more appealing even if the wood remained obvious. Perhaps the vintage's character, perhaps a sign of the benefit one can derive from ageing Beaujolais a bit. In the coming days I will dip into my cellar and take a look how a few bottles of Beaujolais are ageing, 2 from 2003,  and one each from 2002 and 1996. Beaujolais is full of surprises yet one thing that will not surprise me is if these wines are wonderful and bear and even more striking resemblance with Burgundy! On that old canard, while Beaujolais may, or may not, really resemble Burgundy one thing is for sure. For $20 one can certainly drink a whole lot better in Beaujolais! And without further ado allow me to relate what it was we discovered. I've included my notes below and an impression from each of the tasters that participated in our first weeks blind tasting. Beaujolais Blind Tasting Flight 1 2007 Chateau du Pizay Beaujolais A bit stemmy-spicy on the nose with hints of earth, roses and a marshmallow edge. Soft pure raspberry fruit and nice zesty acidity make this a nice basic Beaujolais and a light red perfect for serving with a chill this summer. 85pts Philip - strawberry, good structure Lance - strawberry, mild spice Baratunde - butter and smooth Dave - flat, lost me at the end Sophie - quite fruit forward, almost sweet, Evan - indistinct, herbaceous on the palate 2007 Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais Villages Coming from gentle hills with a bit of rocky terrain this smoky, tobacco scented Beaujolais Villages is a step up from simple Beaujolais. This is a bit mineral toned on the palate with a bit of forced, extracted tannin that adds a touch of bitterness to the otherwise dried herbal, strawberry flavors. I bit too inky and blocky for my palate. 83pts Philip - gamier, tobacco Lance - not very complex, didn't hold my interest Baratunde - sharp and mildy spicy Dave - chalky, strawberry, Sophie - mineral, younger vines Evan - fuller and actually sweet 2007 Vissoux Pierre Chermette Brouilly Brouilly is the largest Cru in Beaujolais. Chermette produces natural wines and this is a beauty! A bouquet full of violets, crystallized black raspberry, rich forest soil, and aromatic candle wax leads to a gorgeous palate full of sweet fruit. This is wonderfully precise with great balance and a tense crisp, tannic note that frames the wonderfully transparent fruit. On the long finish a hint of medicinal herbs adds depth to the fruit and finale return of violets. Beaujolais doesn't get much better than this. 92pts Philip - lot of fruit, floral violet, topnotes Lance - mild sweet fruit, liked the finish Baratunde - sharper, dryer, Dave -cherry candy, violets Sophie - softer fuller approachable style Evan - rich nose, , earthiness that I liked Flight 2 2007 Domaine des Terres Dorees Jean-Paul Brun Cotes de Brouilly     The Cotes de Brouilly is located within Brouilly, on old volcanic slopes and generally produces deep, dark fruit. This is decidedly herbal and stemmy on the nose with medicinal floral tones and hints of green peppercorn and juniper. Rich and well balanced in the mouth with noticeable fruit tannin balanced by a nice acid spine. Some woodsy notes recall the nose and are joined by black berry and black currant fruit. This finishes with a touch of Ricola and is bit shorter than I would like but is complex and complete. 88pts Philip - simple fruity, a little iron on the finish Lance - a bit spicy on the nose, nice finish Baratunde - medicinal, hot Dave - strawberry, bitter cola Sophie - strange milk chocolate lactic Cadbury nutbar, firm and enjoyable tannins Evan - tea tannins, earth, raspberry 2007 Thenevet Grain & Granite Regnie Regnie is the youngest Cru of Beaujolais, dating from 1988 but is part of the historic home of Beaujolais. This has superb aromatics with balsamic, candle wax tones almost verging on eucalyptus with a roast meaty edge and layers of intense and complex violet pastille and wild berry fruits. This smells like old vines. This has big weight but is not weighty do to the incredible balance and precision that makes for lovely depth of fruit with a raspberry, slight roasted strawberry tone yet crystal clear transparency. I love the quality of the tannins here, they are soft and like flannel, mouth filling. A nice mineral wash cleanses the palate and leads to a long finish that ends with a wild strawberry flourish. This is simply great Beaujolais! 94pts Philip - mushroom, black cherry, blood Lance - , tea flavor, good Baratunde - woody, toopia Dave - violets, white pepper ripe cherry Sophie - rich fruit on the palate, savory, thyme Evan - more herbaceous, raspberry in the back of the mouth 2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon Morgon produces rich, earthy wine that can easily be mistaken for Burgundy. Lapierre is a great biodynamic producer. This offers up notes of beet roots, dusty earth, anise and aggressive herb and medicinal notes. With a very light, natural and elegant in the mouth this is refreshing but quite herbal and almost vegetal on the palate with a decided green streak and some granitic minerality but not much fruit. 84pts Philip - vegetal, mineral, earthy dry finish Lance - smoky nose, mild but complex Baratunde - fruity Dave - raw meats, white pepper, raspberry Sophie - soft light fruit on the palate, lots of Gamay character Evan - candy cherry nose, very flat, almost watery Flight 3 2006 Christophe Pacalet Chiroubles Chiroubles comes from vines at higher elevation that produce delicate wines and Pacalet's minimalist style of winemaking preserves this ethereal quality. A touch funky on the nose with a gamy edge to the wooly, wet cotton, rainwater tones that feature an intriguing touch of dried thyme. This is a bit more structured in the mouth with lots of sweet yet indistinct fruit that is slightly pruny. It is very aromatic in the mouth but a bit short on the finish. 86pts Philip - - mushroomy nose, tobacco, plums Lance - lemony nose, nice balance and fruit, Baratunde - soft and gentle feel on the nose, gummi bears Dave - really perfumed with sweet resinous flowers, gamy and attractive Sophie - high toned floral nose, savory finish is cool and sleek Evan - nose hit me, leather, cherry, hint of tar in the background 2007 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Fleurie is always one of my favorite Crus, full of plush, deep fruit that takes a couple of years in the cellar to peak. Once one gets past the noticeable hit of sulfur this is dark and slightly resinous on the nose with bark and fruit tones in a masculine, cologne-scented register that includes a touch of campfire and very lovely subtle vegetal tones and medicinal herbs. In the mouth this feels a touch closed at first but with mouthwatering acid and hints of bright red fruits and red currants with a nice iron edge. The youthful tannins are a touch stiff and pop on the finish with a touch of almond nuttiness that offers contrast to the nice dark fruit return with it's touch of fig and darker cherry fruit. A bigger style of wine but complete if a touch blocky at the moment. 89pts Philip - smooth and supply, cherry notes Lance - dusty nose, good forward fruit Baratunde - did not like, chemical maybe sulfur Dave - sour ripe cherries, black currant, medicinal Sophie - odd nose pencil lead/shaving, fairly Gamay, Evan - black tea spice, berries, soft tannins 2007 Jadot Chateau des Jacques Moulin a Vent  Moulin a Vent produces low yielding vines and powerful wines from rocky soil in the north of Beaujolais. This is sweet smelling with predominantly woodsy tones of white mushroom and gardenia. There's lots of fruit on the palate, which is a bit sweet though an herbal edge offers a bit of relief from the onslaught of prominent black gapey fruit. This ends with a bit of an extracted matte feel and some wood tannin that mars the finish and adds a bit of bitterness. 84pts Philip - a lot of butter and oak on the nose Lance - grassy, rosemary, chalky finish Baratunde - acid, maybe lactic Dave - black currants long finish Sophie - not as expressive, nice but ambivalent Evan - burnt cherry, hint of toasted wood Flight 4 2007 Duboeuf Chateau des Capitans Julienas Julienas produces elegant and spicy wines from a region that gets its name from Julius Caesar! This is dusty and mineral with a big bay leaf tone and a touch of seared beef but it lacks some liveliness. On entry this is fiercely acidic for this ripeness yet very simple with big black fruits. This finishes with some chemical notes and I can't say that there's much here for me to like. 80pts Philip - Bovril, tight at first, leather but now it's plain cherries Lance -- tobacco nose, black currant cinnamon, Baratunde - very strong overpowering cherry Dave - very ripe cherry, vanilla, black olive Sophie - sweet black cherry and licorice excessively candied viscous Evan - not much, hints of candy, soft tannin 2007 Georges Trichard Chenas Chenas is the smallest of the crus, many of the vineyards that formed the appellation are now part of the Moulin au Vent appellation. With waxy red fruits, dried apricot, blond tobacco, spicy, wild red berry fruits, a touch of tea and a hint of dried cranberry on the nose this is compelling to smell. The mouth feel is suave and smooth with lovely tannins nicely balanced with bright acids. There are strong cranberry tones on the palate with a touch of tea that is nice and measured and leads to a finish that has good length and offers a hint of cherry pit bitterness that adds cut, This is not super complex but a style I really like to drink. 91pts Philip - nice nose pine needles and foresty, riverbed, Lance - spicy, a bit woody, tannic on the finish Baratunde - very spicy a lot of pepper Dave - lush fruit, toasted nuttiness, and diluted texture Sophie - lighter nose a touch vegetal, more tannin not completely well integrated Evan - - gaminess, toast, sweet mixed berry 2007 Domaine de Billards Barbet St. Amour St. Amour combines great fruit, spice, structure from the northern border of the region. A romantic choice! This starts out reticent on the nose with an underlying natural sweetness of dried raspberry fruit and just a hint of earth and spice with a touch of grassiness. Fairly fleshy and round in the mouth with lovely depth. This is fairly powerful yet transparent and really bright with wonderfully precise fruits that lean to the black cherry, black currant end of the spectrum. The finish is really long and fruit driven but refreshing with a lovely final of almost gamy wild fruits. This read more…might be a touch dilute but the appeal is undeniable. 91pts Philip - very plummy, fruity throughout Lance - floral nose, seemed young, didn't open up much Baratunde - deep dark plum Dave - gamy raspberry, prune, and cherry Sophie - feels muted and dilute, hard to taste, at this Evan - hint of cherry with toast, earth tobacco Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  From the article Beaujolais it ain't all Nouveau

  
  
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  June 2009

  Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau Vieilles Vignes 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Medicinal nose. Think vitamins. A lighter red. Tannins? Yes, please. Hits hard but fades fast.

  Wine review by troyconquer

  
  
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  November 2008

  Moillard Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2008

  Snoothrank:

  My second Nouveau this year, served slightly chilled. A maroonish purple color. When I opened the bottle I could immediately smell the wine. The nose is an explosion of banana and tropical fruit scents. In the mouth the taste is very similar to the nose with maybe an addition of... Read moreMy second Nouveau this year, served slightly chilled. A maroonish purple color. When I opened the bottle I could immediately smell the wine. The nose is an explosion of banana and tropical fruit scents. In the mouth the taste is very similar to the nose with maybe an addition of raspberry too, though banana and tropical flavors still predominate. I think that this wine has a slightly bigger structure than the other Nouveau I have tasted this year, though I would still describe the overall structure as light. A fun, easygoing wine.    (hide)

  Wine review by ttutony

  
  
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  January 2008

  Moillard Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2007

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by ttutony

  
  

• July 2007

  I attended a Beaujolais boat cruise around Manhattan last Saturday night (I know, such hard work). There were several wines on offer, a Beaujolais, a Beaujolais Village, as well as several Cru's: Brouilly, Morgon and a Moulin-a-Vent, amongst others. A fellow member of the wine trade... Read moreI attended a Beaujolais boat cruise around Manhattan last Saturday night (I know, such hard work). There were several wines on offer, a Beaujolais, a Beaujolais Village, as well as several Cru's: Brouilly, Morgon and a Moulin-a-Vent, amongst others. A fellow member of the wine trade wrote about it here. If all you know of Beaujolais is the Nouveau that comes out each November, then Summer is the time to revisit the Gamay grape. It can range from very light, barely a trace of tannin, wines like the Beaujolais Superior wine I tried, to the deeper, earthier, mushroom notes I found in the Brouilly. All of these can be drunk at room temperature, but become the perfect accompaniment to picnic fare when served slightly chilled. The classifications of Beaujolais are worth learning: Beaujolais Nouveau wines are the first wines from the new vintage, released on the 3rd Thursday of November after harvest. Beaujolais superior wines are more ripe and contain more alcohol than the nouveau wines. Beaujolais villages are wines that are made from a mixture of different villages. Cru Beaujolais come from better vineyard sites in and around the ten "crus" in the north part of the region. These wines are often more full-bodied, darker in color, and significantly longer-lived. The ten crus are the following: Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Saint-Amour, Chiroubles, Chénas, Fleurie, Juliénas, and Régnié. The Cru's rarely show the name Beaujolais on the label - so unless you're using Snooth, you might have to remember a few of them. PS. Wilkommen Deutschland - A big hello to the huge influx of German users these last few days. No idea what triggered this, but happy, nonetheless. OK - A big thank you to Ehrensenf for their vlog review of us.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Out with the Nouveau and in... by Philip

  
  

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