Beaujolais- Not to be taken lightly.

FlickingerPhotography

Hey Everyone,

Today's post comes to you after a prolonged period during which I have been in constant, coincidental contact with wines from the Beaujolais region of France.  I can't honestly say that I've ever been a huge fan of the wines of Beaujolais, generally considering them, along with many to be second-rate wines, forever to be overshadowed by the much more complete, serious wines of Burgundy.  This being put down to the commercial preeminence of the mass-produced, unaged wine made from the fruity-forward Gamay grape, many consider the wine of Beaujolais to be inherently inferior to it's northern neighbour in Burgundy.

Interestingly enough, history has similarly conspired to limit the achievements of the Gamay grape, with successive dukes of Burgundy outlawing the vine in their prized vineyards, in favour of the more elegant Pinot Noir variety.  Fair enough, this tactic paid off in the end, as the finest red Burgundies, such as those of Chambertin and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti can fetch unimaginable prices and in the words of Edward Scissor-Hands (ie Johnny Depp), they achieve the closest thing to nirvana in wine-form.

Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent & Morgon

Gamay however, seemed for a long time to be reduced to the role of producing a light, fruity, cheap red and in time developed a cult following for it's appearance as Beaujolais Nouveau.  So great was it'd appeal for a time that in many American households, indeed households the world over, November was the time of Beaujolais Nouveau parties, based around the release of the latest vintage.  No ageing, no patience required, just nip round to the local bottle-shop and grab the nouveau-est release and glug it down.

This all reached a head at the turn of the millenium and Beaujolais, with it's inexpensive masses of fruity jug-wine, there came the inevitable strike of the fickle consumer.  With over a million cases produced in 2001, there was a huge overstock and drinkers went elsewhere for their cheap fruity wines, after all, Chile was cheaper.  I believe that in large, this may have caused some soul-searching for the wine-makers in Beaujolais, perhaps they realised that all along this was what they wanted; a reason to make wine they could be proud of.  The punches a prize-fighter threw five years ago have grown old and they need to learn new moves.  Certainly these beautiful crus in Beaujolais are punchier and more serious, and they have put the fight back into the winemakers from Beaujolais.

This week, however, I have been given the chance to see just what Beaujolais can be.  Sure the best of Beaujolais are made as attempt to achieve the glory of Burgundy, and in some ways cru Beaujolais is essentially Burgundy-lite, in complexity and in price, but in truth there are some very satisfying wines to be found.  Made as more concentrated expressions of the Gamay grape, they can rest for a few years and gain a beautiful terra-cotta tinge and have all the florality of a decent pinot as well as a bit of that mature farmyard character.  While Fleury is no Volnay, nor is Moulin-à-Vent anything to challenge Mercurey, they are sturdy, expressive wines in their own right, showing off a good local character unique to their part of the world.

Case in point: Château des Jacques 2002.  This wine is elegant, it is complex and it is dusty.  It is made in a serious style intended for a decade of rest and with that time under it's belt, I believe it's done very well. It is cheesy like an old Pinot Noir but still has the strawberry aromas of a young Gamay balancing it all out.  It is a unique expression of Beaujolais and I think it is a lovely bottle, definitely something to behold and take into consideration as a serious wine.

Also, there are the great wines of Fleurie and Morgon; elegant, feminine and fragrant with bright aromas of pure strawberry, red cherries and floral perfume and a lovely, silky smooth palate.  Over all, well balanced and intriguing.  Put away your preconceived thoughts of those Beaujolais smelling of bubblegum/ candy-floss etc.  While that may be the case for the Nouveaux, these wines are serious, elegant and respectable alongside their northern neighbours.

You know what Gamay makes me think of?  It's like the Patrick Stewart of wine.  A perfectly capable grape that has been far too often typecast into the role desired by it's devoted cult following.  If Patrick Stewart could overcome his typecasting as Jean-Luc Picard/ anything sci-fi related, I see no reason why the popular conception of Gamay cannot become that of a serious grape variety.  It is a great grape and in the hands of a caring, aspiring wine-maker, it can achieve great things, far surpassing it's chequered history.  Perhaps Duke Philippe of Burgundy should have had more foresight than to ban Gamay in his best vineyards.  Afterall, seeing what Gamay has achieved in the past ten years, who knows what it could have done with 600 years of appreciation.

Why not grab a nice bottle of Cru Beaujolais?  Usually, they can be found in the sweet spot of £10-20 for a great example, so you needn't break the bank.  I do hope some of you can find a new place in your heart for good Beaujolais, it's definitely worth a visit.

Much love,
G

Thanks to my collegue, George Flickinger, who has been a great helping hand in regards to photos of my subjects.  His work can been seen in greater detail at www.flickingerphotography.com.