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IT Beaujolais.
Beaujolais is virtually synonymous with Gamay (or, to be more precise, Gamay noir à Jus blanc), the region’s most important grape variety. It accounts for 98% of total production.
Beaujolais is a wonderful (and often misunderstood) wine region north of Lyon, encompassing part of the northern Rhône area and overlapping with the southern regions of Saône-et-Loire in Burgundy.
Gamay
Today understood as a cross between Pinot Noir and the old white grape variety Gouais, the variety produces a rich harvest and ripens two weeks earlier than Pinot Noir. This results in fruity wines with low alcohol and tannin content, high acidity and light to medium body.
It was a fortunate meeting between Beaujolais and Gamay. The variety was also poorly treated and was already expelled from Burgundy in 1395 to make room for the more famous and valuable Pinot Noir. Pushed southwards, it found in Beaujolais the granite soil and warmer temperatures in which it thrives.
Philip the Bold
The Burgundian ruler issued a famous decree in 1395 banning the cultivation of Gamay on the Côte-d’Or, arguing it was harmful to human health. He even referred to the grape as „disreputable“ („l’infâme et déloyal Gamay“).
This expulsion actually benefited Gamay, as it thrives even better on the granite slopes of Beaujolais than on the limestone escarpment of the Côte-d’Or.
Also worth mentioning is a small production of Chardonnay, which, due to the almost 100 communes in the north of Beaujolais that overlap with the Maconnais region of Saint-Véran, is normally marketed under the better-known designation Mâcon-Villages or Saint-Véran.
Topography and Soils
The wine region is divided into two parts, which is evident from the location of the various appellations.
Bas Beaujolais in the south, mainly flat and with rich soils of sandstone and clay. Here the infamous Beaujolais Nouveau is produced, which is made under the AOC Beaujolais designation.
In the northern part, which roughly centres on the town of Villefranche, lies the majority of the Beaujolais-Villages AOC and Cru Beaujolais AOC. Here the soils consist mainly of slate and granite with some limestone.
The Crus
Under the AOC Cru Beaujolais there are genuine and still underrated gems of French winemaking, distributed across 10 regions (in Beaujolais, the term „cru“ refers to a region rather than a single vineyard):
Brouilly, Régnié and Chiroubles produce lighter wines; Côte de Brouilly (the higher slopes of the extinct volcano Mount Brouilly), Fleurie and Saint-Amour deliver medium-bodied wines.
The other four crus offer full-bodied wines that can be drunk between four and ten years after harvest: Chénas, Juliénas, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent.
Old Gamay Vines in Juliénas
Juliénas is one of the most diverse regions in the Beaujolais area. It encompasses granite soils in the west, old alluvial soils in the east and some sandy soils with a clay content of up to 30 per cent.
Further down we discuss two wines from Juliénas in more detail.
Two Wines Compared
A brief insight into the Cru Juliénas from the estates Bret Brothers and Romanesca. We’ll be looking at two different (but each exceptionally fine) vintages from 2018 and 2020.
ROMANESCA
Les Fouillouses 2018, Juliénas
The 2018 vintage was very well balanced between a wet winter and a hot, dry summer. Thanks to good water availability in the first part of the year, the wines were fresh and lively with a slightly lower alcohol content.
The Romanesca „Les Fouillouses“ 2018 fully meets expectations with a deep ruby-red wine that opens on the nose after some time with fresh notes of sage and orange, followed by blackberry jam, black cherry jam, violets and wild rose.
The palate is suffused with broad acidity that balances the alcohol and tannins well. Notes of blackcurrants, red roses and a hint of vanilla and marzipan on the finish.
I personally am very curious to taste this bottle again in 2024 and 2026.
BRET BROTHERS
Climat La Bottière 2020, Juliénas
The 2020 vintage was equally magnificent, but certainly more complicated by severe frost in April, a very hot July and a rainy second half of August. However, the crus of the region were not as affected, and the rain was a welcome relief after the hot weather. The result is fresh but concentrated wines.
The La Bottière 2020 from Bret Brothers expresses this idea of concentration beautifully, beginning with a nose that displays a broad palette of red fruits in succession: wild strawberries, ripe strawberries, dried redcurrants. Violets, thyme and black pepper complete this wonderful carousel.
On the palate it is warm, balsamic with a delicate acidity that supports a long, spicy finish. Here we find forest berry jam and again black pepper, but also cinnamon, Virginia tobacco, dried plum and coffee.
Already now it is incredibly pleasant and seductive. Even though it can benefit from longer bottle age, it will be hard to exercise patience.
Beaujolais offers the full spectrum of affordable red wines – from drinkable picnic companions to complex terroir wines.
Text and wine expertise: Jonathan Gobbi
Photos: Michael McKechnie and Weekend Wayfarers under Creative Commons 2.0
Copyright: Taits UG, LebendigeWeine.de