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Our wine trip in France continues with the infamous Beaujolais (BO-zho-lay). Beaujolais has the unfortunate luck to be stuck between two absolute powerhouses of fine wine, Burgundy and Northern Rhône. Though technically in Burgundy, Beaujolais is an outlier in many respects; soil type, grapes, and vinification to name a few. Considered less noble than its cohorts North and South, Beaujolais nonetheless found fame and infamy in equal measure.
The wines of Beaujolais use a different grape – Gamay. It is a vigorous growing vine, which produces prodigious amounts of grapes, and it ripens, on average, two weeks earlier than the Pinot Noir favored in Burgundy. Gamay has been much maligned (from the 14th Century on) as something that is too acidic, too fruity, and just too much. Mostly, it has been castigated for the crime of being different.
Rather than conform, brave Beaujolais embraced its differences. New wine-making skills were implemented, old methods tossed. And when they did, an interesting thing happened. Sales and interest in the approachable new wines increased. This is where the fame and infamy of it all coalesce.
What began as local tradition became a marketing phenomenon. The first wines of the year, Beaujolais-Nouveau, were initially made to celebrate the harvest. However, promotions in Paris trumpeting the new wines created a fervor. The crescendo of new wine to enjoy soon became a worldwide event. So much so, nearly 50 million Euros enter the local economy each fall. That is enough cash changing hands for people to notice.
Uncomplicated and unabashedly fruity, Beaujolais-Nouveau is made for drinking upon release. As a result, Beaujolais, en tout, became the Cousin Eddie of red wine: there for a good time, manners be damned. These wines were successful, even as they cost the region’s reputation.
Despite this, the heart of biodynamic culture was born here, and is expanding. Beyond the (in)famous Beaujolais-Nouveau, many winemakers are producing phenomenal wines. Even the larger négociants(merchant/sellers) are moving to organic and biodynamic practice. This is significant as more than 50% of the world’s Gamay is grown in Beaujolais (an area 1/3 the size of the city of Durham).
The wines of the crus of Beaujolais (St Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin à Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Côtes-du-Brouilly, & Brouilly) represent some of the finest value-to-quality ratio that you can find. No need for a long time in cellar, you can and should drink these wines within seven years of bottling (notable exceptions, of course). You get an affordable wine that is light, luscious, and ready to drink. Now who’s a big winner?
Next time around, it’ll be a westerly path we follow to the wide-open lands of the Languedoc, Provence, and Southern France in general. Until then,
À votre santé!
Wine for Thought:
Domaine La Thuilière-Gravallon “La Madonne” Fleurie 2023. 100% Gamay. Fleurie, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France. HVE
Sight: Purple with slight rim variation and medium tearing.
Aroma: A delicate cigar tobacco opens with granite subtleties.
Palate: Tobacco, leather, and granite predominate the first taste with a distinctly grape flavor trailing.
Notes: Quite direct in its flavors of granite, tobacco, and grape. Delicate nose of cigar smoke and granite that opens as the wine aerates. Works well with game fowl, or a Friday night pizza.
Source: Total Wine, $25.
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