Give Me a Gamay
Last week we had another episode of the winetasting group. This time the victim was Beaujolais. Now, you’ve most likely had the Nouveau version at some point, but it’s not fair to base your opinion on that. Beaujolais Nouveau goes through carbonic fermentation at a super fast speed to enable that third-Thursday-of-November release. Usually pretty dull, often watery and tasting of bubble gum or nail polish remover, its claim to fame is as a Thanksgiving wine (perfect timing, and it’s cheap and plenty).
However, Beaujolais is actually the southern section of Burgundy, making use of the Gamay grape rather than Pinot Noir. Interestingly, this smaller region can, in some vintages, produce more wine than its northern neighbor. While most of the wine produced from Gamay should be drunk young, some of the crus (Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent) from better vintages can age for almost a decade and may even begin to taste like Burgundy.
The key is to seek out the ‘better stuff,’ such as Beaujolais-Villages or cru (10 small villages or communes deserving of their own appellation). Of the 8 wines we tasted, all were from a designated cru and all but one was from 2005, which the assistant winemaker categorized as a very good vintage for the region. Usually a bargain, the prices ranged from $12-22. As a result of everyone living within 30 miles of each other and shopping at the same stores, two wines popped up twice, one set within the same flight (though they didn’t taste exaclty the same).
Two of the group favorites were from the cru Fleurie. One, from the old standby Georges Duboeuf, was rather light and smelled of cinnamon and strawberry, and the other was Clos de la Roillette, which was jammier and earthier and continued to improve as we discussed. It didn’t, however, fair as well in its second showing, because the twice-appearing Domaine Piron & Lafont Chenas Quartz was the winner from that flight. The first one I tasted reminded me of my delicious scallop and truffle ravioli from Andalu and therefore won my heart.
While none of the wines really blew me away, that could be in part due to their lighter style than what I’ve been drinking lately. Another reason may be that Beaujolais is not necessarily meant to be analyzed into the ground. It’s meant to be a light, refreshing wine. Put a little chill on it, and sit back and enjoy.
….Farley Walker
winetasting group, Beaujolais, Beaujolais Nouveau
May 1st, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Farley, why do you suppose the two Piron & Lafonts were different? Could it have been temperature differences between the two?
May 1st, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Maybe, Russ. I was tipped off they might have been the same due to the foil, but they definitely smelled different. Another reason could have been storage: they were bought at different shops.