Beaujolais Grand Cru Wines Are Great Values

As we approach Thursday, November 20, 2008, and the release of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, I would like to share with you some of my favorite wines of this region.  I should tell you I am not a fan of the early release Nouveau.  However, I am always looking for a great excuse to have a party, so I thought I would share with you the secret of Beaujolais Grand Cru.  What’s the secret?  The secret is the wines from Beaujolais’ 10 Grand Cru regions offer some of the best value-priced wines in the world.  I am sharing this secret with you so that you can grab some of these gems before Thursday and have a party in style.

I was first introduced to Beaujolais Grand Cru wines on a trip to London.  A colleague of mine was a big fan of the wines from Brouilly.  We shared a bottle of wine over dinner and I was hooked.  (Thanks, Rob)  I was impressed with the quality-to-price ratio.  I was also equally impressed with the level of refinement in the wines.  Prior to trying that first bottle, I had steered away from Beajolais, having only previously experienced Nouveau & Villages level wines from the region.  I used to think and say that I did not like the Gamay grape.  I could not have been more wrong.  The problem was, I was not properly educated on the wines of the region.  I didn’t  know the secret.  There is magic in the Beaujolais Grand Cru wines.  You will need to spend a little more money to reach this magical level, but the reward is several more times larger for the small increase in cost.

Over the last couple of days, I have tried several Grand Cru and I want to share with you the results of my findings.  Many of the recommended options come from the Exceptional 2005 vintage.  We also recommend a few from the 2006 vintage as well.  But before we start, in case you are not familiar with the 10 Grand Cru villages in Burgundy, France, they are Chiroubles, Fleurie, Saint-Amour, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas, Régnié, Chénas, Morgon, & Moulin-à-Vent.  (See the map to the right.)  I find that most of the wines I prefer come from the Morgon Village.  The regions tend to have terroir driven characteristics.  According to the official Beaujolais website, Fleurie offers a silky and elegant style.  Brouilly evokes perfumes of red berries and plums with occasional mineral notes.  Morgon, my favorite Cru, offers a more full-bodied wine that will age well.  Finally, there is Moulin-à-Vent.  This Cru offers full-bodied wines that are complex and can be considered for cellaring.

I would like to share with you my favorite Grand Cru wines from the 2005 & 2006 vintages.  My favorite value-priced wine is the Georges Duboeuf 2005 “Morgon Flower Label” for $13  This “red” wine smells like classic Gamay.  Its flavor profile is classic raspberry.  You should serve this wine slightly chilled with burgers and ribs.  If you can’t find the 2005, try the 2006 Georges Duboeuf “Morgon – Flower Label” for $12.  It might even be a little bit better.

My overall favorite wine is the extremely elegant Louis Jadot 2005 “Château des Lumières Cote du Py Morgon” $34.  This is a special wine and it may convince you (if you weren’t already) that great wines can come from this region.  It is a little more money than most wines from the region, but it is worth every penny. 

If $34 is a little over your budget, then you can drop down a bit in price and give the Louis Jadot 2005 “Château des Lumières Morgon” a try for $18.  This wine is also pretty refined.  It’s medium-bodied, smooth, soft, and exhibits dusty cherry flavors.  It’s a great deal for $18.  From the Fleurie Village you might want to try the Georges Duboeuf 2005 Fleurie Domaine des Quatre Vents for $16.  We had this wine with Thanksgiving dinner last year.  It was well-balanced, had nice flavors, and was a very good complement to the food.  If you are lucky, you still might find a bottle on the shelves. 

For the 2006 vintage we will return to Morgon.  I recommend trying the Potel Aviron 2006 “Morgon Côte du Puy” for $23.  This wine is medium-bodied, smooth, and easy to drink.  It displays pleasant mild raspberry and cherry flavors with notes of minerals and earth.   Another Very Good option to consider is the Georges Duboeuf 2006 “Château des Capitans” from Juliénas for $15.   This wine is medium-bodied, really smooth, not overly complex, but easy to drink. The flavors are mild black cherry with slight hints of cherry cola on the mid palate.  It’s another great value from Duboeuf and the region.

Finally, if you are on a low budget and just want to dip your tow in the water, I recommend the Louis Jadot 2007 “Beaujolais Villages” for $10.  It is a fun wine and very inexpensive.  It is light-bodied, lively, and shows plenty of acidity.  It has cherry flavors with a touch of spice.   This wine would liven up a burger or pair nicely with spaghetti and meatballs.  This is a fun and fruity entry level Beaujolais that would be a nice place to start if you are beginning to explore this region and its wines.  If you would like to start your exploration this week, I suggest you print off our complete list of recommended wines from Beaujolais and visit a fine wine shop near you.  Enjoy the wines and discover this terrific wine region.  Cheers – Ken