Cru Beaujolais The Other Burgundy

The Other Burgundy

There is no doubt that today the Beaujolais region is on a tear, with dozens of talented young winemakers crafting delicious, soulful wines - many organic and biodynamic, that can easily rival their pricer counterparts from just to the north in Burgundy. But it hasn�t always been this way. For centuries this region quietly produced wines from the Gamay grape, made into wines to be consumed locally and in bistros and restaurants from the Mediterranean to Paris.

The completion of the harvest, a time of insanely hard work as the grapes are gathered in a race against time, and often the weather, was celebrated with the barely fermented new wines, or �nouveau� Beaujolais. Sometime in the 1970�s, this celebration caught on outside the region, first in Paris Bistros, then around the world. With the regulation that the wines could not legally be released until the 3rd Thursday of November, racing to become the first to sell them became all the rage. People were flying it across the Atlantic on the Concord, parchuting it out of airplanes and more all to be the first to have it.

In the beginning, this was a huge boon to the growers. The �Nouveau Beaujolais� short fermentation period - just a few weeks from grape to market compared to months and years for most red wines, allowed producers to clear their inventory and get paid in months rather than years. Nicknamed �Chateau cash flow�, this caused production to soar, but quality suffered, and the region was staking its reputation on a cheap, mediocre fad wine.

When the bubble burst, as most fads eventually do, it left a bad taste in the mouths of many consumers. But there were a handful of growers who saw the danger early, and never signed onto the Nouveau craze. They believed that traditional winemaking and a focus on quality was the long term best path forward, that quality over quantity was essential. They determined to craft wines that captured the essence of the Gamay Noir grape and unique terroirs of the region. Following the lead of biodynamic pioneers like Jules Chauvet, they began with a move away from the methods that they felt resulted in bland, generic wines and moved �back to nature� with organic, biodynamic and natural grape growing and winemaking.

Today many more are following the trend. The top wines from these growers are highly sought after by connoisseurs and top Sommeliers and are now found on the lists of some of the best restaurants in the world. They have been helped by higher prices in Cote d�Or for Burgundy, and more flexible and open-minded consumers.

There are several levels of Beaujolais production, mainly driven by the unique soils and terroir. There is the catch-all Beaujolais AOC moniker, producing lighter, fruitier wine mainly from vineyards in the south, which is flatter terrain with sandstone and clay soils. Carbonic maceration is widely used to ferment the wines without extracting hard tannins, and the result is soft, fruity wine for early consumption. North of Villefranche is the Beaujolais-Villages AOC, with steeper hills, higher altitude, and soils composed of sandstone, schists, granite and some limestone. The wines here must have a slightly higher minimum alcohol, lower yields per acre, and are a step up in terms of body while maintaining a fresh, fruit driven nature.

The best sites are the hillsides where the soils are mainly granites and schists in vineyards surrounding the ten Cru Villages of Saint-Amour, Juli�nas, Ch�nas, Moulin-�-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, R�gni�, Brouilly and C�te de Brouilly. Each has its own subtle stylistic nuances, with more structure and complexity than simple Beaujolais � sometimes more reminiscent of their Pinot Noir based cousins to the north than the rest of Beaujolais. The best can age for a decade or more, yet most are medium-bodied, accessible when they are young, and work with food much like Pinot Noir, pairing with poultry, game birds, grilled meaty fish and lighter meats like pork or veal, all the way up to burgers, steaks and chops. Lighter Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages are also great summer reds, served with a slight chill.

Some of the best can be found in the Kermit Lynch portfolio including Guy Breton, Nicole Chanrion, Chignard, Diochon, Jean Foillard, Marcel Lapierre, and more. Other noteworthy producers include Julien Sunier, Jean-Paul Brun, and Georges Descombes. The wines range in price from under $10 for Beaujolais to the high-teens to the mid $30�s for the top producers and Crus, making them quite a bargain. With a series of excellent vintages on the market and shortages and price increases for red Burgundy, it is an excellent time to explore a region very much on the move. Cheers!

Chris Cree is one of 57 Masters of Wine in the US and Founding Partner of the Cree Wine Company, a Wine Bar, Tasting Room, Event Space and Wine School located in Hampton NJ. Visit at CreeWine.Com

Adrien Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Les Coullemets Le Mesnil-sur-oger 2018

In 1986, Eric Dhondt and Edith Grellet decided to stop selling off grapes to negociants and started Dhondt-Grellet. Their focus on farming translated into honest Champagnes from great holdings across the Côte des Blancs.... Read More

~~Original price: $250.00~~

Sale price: $225.99

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