Tasting Notes ~ The Ten Crus of Beaujolais
Saturday 16th November 2013
Accompanied by some saute’ saucissons chez Ecuyer Gordon & Riona Leitch followed by a supper of Coq au Vin de Beaujolais
THE APERITIF
CLAIRETTE DE DIE TRADITION - comes from Die in the Drome Department in the Rhone Valley. Made with Moscatel grapes by a form of Methode Champenoise - the wine is fermented slowly at low temperatures for several months, then filtered and bottled. Once bottled, the wine starts to warm up and the fermentation process starts again naturally, creating carbon dioxide gas as a by-product, which creates bubbles in the wine. The sediment at the bottom of the bottles is removed by decanting and filtering the wine in a pressurised container to retain the effervescence, and the wine is bottled again in fresh bottles. Wine made by this method must have it stated on the label. (source - Wikipedia)
Purchased from CARREFOUR (CALAIS) – about £6.00 bottle, very limited availability in the UK although Manson Fine Wines shipped this to Inverness in the seventies.
THE TASTING
For those who cannot taste a lot of red wine or take none at all there is a Beaujolais Blanc for your enjoyment. This will also be the first wine of the tasting The tasting will really test our senses in every respect. It is a tasting that would normally be conducted only by professionals in the trade as it embraces 10 red wines from the same grape – and only one grape – the Gamay – We will be tasting consecutive vintages from neighbouring sub-areas, maybe even neighbouring vineyards. The nuances will require exploring with your eyes, your nose, your palate and your after taste. Aeration of the wine in your mouth is essential to permit these nuances to show, maybe shine. Don’t be embarrassed to spit in the appropriate containers provided. For those wishing more detail on Beaujolais, all of its wines and its ten crus there is detailed information on separate sheets.
THE SUPPER
A huge thanks go to Ecuyer Gordon Leitch and Riona for providing tonight’s tasting venue. Thank you also to Riona, Heather and Beverley for preparing a delicious supper.
1. BEAUJOLAIS BLANC 2010 Château de l’Eclaire – This Beaujolais Blanc is made with 100% Chardonnay but some producers add a little X. What is the second permitted grape?
Forth Wines £8.99 2. REGNIE’ 2012 “Domaine les Petites Pierres”. The tenth cru of Beaujolais (the last to be declared a cru). It is usual practice to taste the youngest wine first although Regnie’ tends to be one of the fuller bodied wines. This is also a disadvantage to the wine so pop back and try it later if any remains. Carrefour, (Calais) about £5.00
3. BROUILLY 2010 – gold medal winner from Vignerons de Bel Air - , deep and concentrated Sunday Times Wine Club (STC) £10.99
4. CHIROUBLES 2009 – Joseph Drouhin. The only wine not matured in the region but in Beaune. Will this be a different style altogether? Often with a delicate perfume that often includes aromas of violets. Also the oldest so best left ‘til last. Galeries Lafayette (Paris) about £7.50 (sale price). STC £10.99
5. FLEURIE 2010 – Domaine Pardon, Vielles Vignes – “the Queen of Beaujolais” (Goustevin member Hugh Johnson) – awash with delightful strawberry and red cherry. STC £10.99
6. COTE DE BROUILLY 20 11 – The wines are noted for their aromas of red & blue berries , Made by Henry Fessy. Forth Wines £10.64
7. SAINT AMOUR 2009 – gold medal winner at Macon – one of the best vintages on record. STC £10.99
8. CHENAS 2010 - Chateau de Chenas - gold medal winning, fragrant. STC £10.99
9. JULIENAS 2010 – rich and spicy with aromas reminiscent of peonies. Made by Henry Fessy. Forth Wines £10.55
10. MORGON 2010 - Vignerons de Bel Air – vibrant cherry and summer fruit intensity and silky. STC £10.99
11. MOULIN A VENT 2010 – silver medal at Paris - noted for its laying down qualities. STC £10.99
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labelled by variety. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes though Aligoté is also permitted until 2024 (on condition the vines were planted before 2004). Beaujolais tends to be a very light-bodied red wine, with relatively high amounts of acidity. In some vintages, Beaujolais produces more wine than the Burgundy wine regions of Chablis, Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais put together. The wine takes its name from the historical Beaujolais province and wine producing region. It is located north of Lyon, and covers parts of the north of the Rhône département (Rhône-Alpes) and parts of the south of the Saône-et-Loire département (Burgundy). While administratively considered part of the Burgundy wine region, the climate is closer to the Rhône and the wine is sufficiently individual in character to be considered separately from Burgundy and Rhône. The region is known internationally for its long tradition of winemaking, for the use of carbonic maceration, and more recently for the once popular Beaujolais nouveau now out of favour after decades of often poor quality and acidic wines uncompetitive in the world market.
Appellations.
The new rules for Beaujolais appellations were issued by INAO in 2011. There are twelve main appellations of Beaujolais wines covering the production of more than 96 villages in the Beaujolais region. They were originally established in 1936, with additional crus being promoted in 1938 and 1946, plus Régnié in 1988. About half of all Beaujolais wine is sold under the basic Beaujolais AOC designation. The majority of this wine is produced in the southern Bas Beaujolais region located around the town of Belleville. The minimum natural alcohol level for the grapes is 10%, and the maximum yield is 60 hl/ha (65 hl/ha for a bumper crop). The wine may be labelled as Beaujolais Supérieur in case the minimum natural alcohol level for the grapes is 10,5%, and the maximum yield is 58 hl/ha (63 hl/ha for a bumper crop). Exactly the same limits are effective for Beaujolais-Villages. Maximum chaptalization levels are established at 3 g/l (glucose + fructose).
Beaujolais AOC is the most extended appellation allowed to be used in any of the 96 villages, but essentially covering 60 villages, and refers to all basic Beaujolais wines. A large portion of the wine produced under this appellation is sold as Beaujolais Nouveau. Annually, this appellation averages around 75 million bottles a year in production. Maximum level of sulphur dioxide in the Nouveau is limited at 100 mg/l.
Beaujolais-Villages AOC, the intermediate category in terms of classification, covers 39 communes/villages in the Haut Beaujolais, the northern part of the region accounting for a quarter of production. Some is sold as Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, but it is not common. Most of the wines are released in the following March after the harvest. The terrain of this region is hillier with more schist and granite soil composition than what is found in the regions of the Beaujolais AOC and the wine has the potential to be of higher quality. If the grapes come from the area of a single vineyard or commune, producers can affix the name of their particular village to the Beaujolais-Villages designation. Since most of the villages of Beaujolais, outside of those classified as Cru Beaujolais, villages have little international name recognitions most producers choose to maintain the Beaujolais-Villages designation. The maximum permitted yields for this AOC is 50 hl/ha. These wines are meant to be consumed young, within two years of their harvest. Several of the communes in the Beaujolais-Villages AOC also qualify to produce their wines under the Mâconnais and Saint-Véran AOCs. The Beaujolais producers that produce a red wine under the Beaujolais-Villages appellation will often produce their white wine under the more internationally recognized names of Mâcon-Villages or Saint-Véran.
Cru Beaujolais, the highest category of classification in Beaujolais, account for the production within ten villages/areas in the foothills of the Beaujolais mountains. Unlike Burgundy and Alsace, the phrase cru in Beaujolais refers to an entire wine producing area rather than an individual vineyard. Seven of the Crus relate to actual villages while Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly refer to the vineyards areas around Mont Brouilly and Moulin-à-Vent is named for a local windmill. These wines do not usually show the word "Beaujolais" on the label, in an attempt to separate themselves from mass-produced Nouveau; in fact vineyards in the cru villages are not allowed to produce Nouveau. The maximum yields for Cru Beaujolais wine is 48 hl/ha. Their wines can be more full-bodied, darker in color, and significantly longer-lived. From north to south the Beaujolais crus are- Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à- Vent,Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.
Beaujolais Blanc & Beaujolais Rosé - A small amount of white wine made from Chardonnay is grown in the region and used to produce Beaujolais Blanc or Beaujolais-Villages Blanc. The vineyards to produces these wines are normally found in the limestone soils of the far northern extremities of the region. Part of the reason for the small production of these wines is that many of the vineyards overlap into the Mâconnais regions and producers will usually choose to label their wines under the more marketable and well known Mâcon Blanc designation. There is also regulations in several Beaujolais communes restricting growers to dedicating no more than 10% of their vineyard space to white wine grape varieties. Beaujolais Rosé made from Gamay is permitted in the Beaujolais AOC but is rarely produced.
Beaujolais Crus
The ten Beaujolais Crus differ in character. The following three crus produce the lightest bodied Cru Beaujolais and are typically meant to be consumed within three years of the vintage.
Brouilly - The largest Cru in Beaujolais, situated around Mont Brouilly and contains within its boundaries the sub-district of Côte de Brouilly. The wines are noted for their aromas of blueberries, cherries, raspberries and currants. Along with Côte de Brouilly, this is the only Cru Beaujolais region that permits grapes other than Gamay to be produced in the area with vineyards growing Chardonnay, Aligote and Melon de Bourgogne as well. The Brouilly cru also contains the famous Pisse Vieille vineyard (roughly translated as "piss old woman!") which received its name from a local legend of a devout Catholic woman who misheard the local priest's absolution to "Allez! Et ne péchez plus." (Go! And sin no more.) as "Allez! Et ne pissez plus." (Go! And piss no more). The vineyard name is the admonishment that her husband gave to her upon learning of the priest's words.
Régnié - The most recently recognized Cru, graduating from a Beaujolais-Villages area to Cru Beaujolais in 1988. One of the more fuller bodied crus in this category. It is noted for its redcurrant and raspberry flavors. Local lore in the region states that this Cru was the site of the first vineyards planted in Beaujolais by the Romans.
Chiroubles - This cru has vineyards at some of the highest altitudes among the Cru Beaujolais. Chiroubles cru are noted for their delicate perfume that often includes aromas of violets.
The next three crus produce more medium bodied Cru Beaujolais that Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan recommend needs at least a year aging in the bottle and to be consumed within four years of the vintage.
Côte de Brouilly - Located on the higher slopes of the extinct volcano Mont Brouilly within the Brouilly Cru Beaujolais. The wines from this region are more deeply concentrated with less earthiness than Brouilly wine.
Fleurie - One of the most widely exported Cru Beaujolais into the United States. These wines often have a velvet texture with fruity and floral bouquet. In ideal vintages, a vin de garde (wine for aging) is produced that is meant to age at least four years before consuming and can last up to 16 years.
Saint-Amour - Local lore suggest that this region was named after a Roman soldier (St. Amateur) who converted to Christianity after escaping death and established a mission near the area. The wines from Saint-Amour are noted for their spicy flavors with aromas of peaches. The vin de garde wines require at least four year aging and can last up to twelve years.
The last four crus produce the fullest bodied examples of Cru Beaujolais that need the most time aging in the bottle and are usually meant to be consumed between four to ten years after harvest.
Chénas - Once contained many of the vineyards that are now sold under the Moulin-à-Vent designation. It is now the smallest Cru Beaujolais with wines that are noted for their aroma of wild roses. In ideal vintages, a vin de garde is produced that is meant to age at least five years before consuming and last up to 15. The area named is derived from the forest of French oak trees (chêne) that used to dot the hillside.
Juliénas-This cru is based around the village named after Julius Caesar. The wines made from this area are noted for their richness and spicy with aromas reminiscent of peonies. In contrast to the claims of Régnié, Juliénas growers believe that this area was the site of the first vineyards planted in Beaujolais by the Romans during this conquest of Gaul.
Morgon - Produces earthy wines that can take on a Burgundian character of silky texture after five years aging. These wines are generally the deepest colour and most rich Cru Beaujolais with aromas of apricots and peaches. Within this Cru there is a particular hillside, known as Cote du Py, in the centre of Morgon that produces the most powerful examples of Morgon wines.
Moulin-à-Vent - Wines are very similar to the nearby Chénas Cru Beaujolais. This region produces some of the longest lasting examples of Beaujolais wine, with some wines lasting up to ten years.
Some producers will age their Moulin-à-Vent in oak which gives these wines more tannin and structure than other Beaujolais wines. The phrase fûts de chêne (oak casks) will sometimes appear on the wine label of these oak aged wines. The region is noted for the high level of manganese that is in the soil, which can be toxic to grape vines in high levels. The level of toxicity in Moulin-à-Vent does not kill the vine but is enough to cause chlorosis and alter the vine's metabolism to severely reduce yields. The resulting wine from Moulin-à-Vent are the most full bodied and powerful examples in Beaujolais. The vin de garde styles require at least 6 years aging and can last up to 20 years.