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Beaujolais


detlef
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At one of two impressive tastings today, I was reminded how amazing the '09 Beaujolais are. OK, just to back up, this is not Beaujolais Nouveau, but, well, normal Beaujolais. In particular Cru Beaujolais.

 

A quick primer, I forget exactly how many villages there are in Beaujolais (I think 13), but those are on the top of the heap. There's Nouveau Beaujolais, which is in a category unto itself and is intended to be drunk right away and is super, super fruity. Then there's basic Beaujolais which is not quite as fruity but still should be drunk young. Above that there's Beaujolais Villages which has to come from a specific area within the region and is a bit fancier than the normal stuff but still basically an everyday sort of bottle. Then there's Cru Beaujolais, which is village specific and can be aged for a number of years. At this level, the line between it and Burgundy gets a bit blurry and some of these wines can be downright stunning. Yet, even at their most expensive, cost less than almost all Burgundies.

 

At any rate, the '09s are as good as it gets, so this is a fine chance to find out whether this is your cup of tea. If you "splurge" on a good bottle of '09 Beaujolais and don't dig it, then it's pretty safe to say you're not ever going to be a fan, because, again, it doesn't get any better.

 

A few worth seeking out:

 

Domaine Vissoux Fleurie, Brouilly, and Moulin a Vent

JP Brun L'Ancien (which is not a Cru but is way better than your typical Beaujolais)

...actually, this is a vintage where I think it was nearly impossible to make a bad one. So, assuming your local wine store is worth a damned, they'll have something worth trying.

 

Just saying...

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Knew about the N Beaujolais and "regular" but not others. Probably cost too much for my cheap ass anyway. Haven't had one in awhile but generally like em. Is there a cheap 09 somewhere :wacko:

When you consider the scarcity and quality, Cru Beaujolais are a relative value, but they're not "cheap" by most standards. The really remarkable ones wholesale in the low to mid teens (so $15-$20 retail) in these parts, which, again, is less compared to what "remarkable" costs you in other regions. Yet they seem pricey because people associate them with wines you can usually find in the store for less than $10.

 

JP Brun L'Ancien should cost less that $15 retail in most markets and is a great wine. However, DeBeouf, who is among the largest producer and makes, IMO generally average wines in terms of his main bottlings, does sort of an interesting custom crush program with smaller growers and puts his name on some pretty tasty Cru-level stuff. His should likely be much closer to $10 (if not less). And '09 seemed like one of those vintages where everyone made great juice. So, even the big-house juice should be pretty tasty.

 

What you're going to find this year as opposed to others, and particularly with Cru-level wines, is more structure, power, and balance than the easy-going fruity stuff that one typically gets from the region.

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