Across the globe on the third Thursday in November, wine drinkers celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day. But as you drink Beaujolais Nouveau, remember other Beaujolais (pronounced BOH-joh-lay) red wines offer diverse styles that are equally, if not much more, enjoyable.
Beaujolais Nouveau offers an opportunity to sip the first new French wines of the most recent vintage. Grapes harvested this year in early September were rapidly fermented into wine, bottled in early November and sent around the world just in time for Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations on Nov. 21.
Nouveau wines highlight fresh, ultra-fruity aromas and flavors, light body and low alcohol concentration. They can be fun to quaff, and they aim to grab attention rather than being table wines to complement meals.
Most Beaujolais winegrowers who offer nouveau wines also produce delicious red wines with more complex aromas and flavors along with higher concentration. All Beaujolais wines use gamay grapes, but the difference between nouveau and other styles arises from two key factors: terroir and technique.
Beaujolais Terroir and Technique
As for terroir, the Beaujolais region begins just south of the Mâconnais (Bourgogne’s southernmost region) and descends southward almost to the city of Lyon, France’s culinary capital. In Beaujolais’ northern sector, hilly topology predominates with a geology of granite and limestone covered by thin layers of clay and gravel. By contrast, Beaujolais’ southern sector features primarily flat, rolling plains with deeper clay and sandy soil.
Southern Beaujolais’ soil naturally lends itself to producing gamay grapes for nouveau wines. The vines there tend to produce heavy yields of juicy grapes with pleasant but not particularly complex aromas and flavors. They are perfect for a quick turnaround production of Nouveau Beaujolais on an industrial scale.
In terms of technique, Beaujolais Nouveau wines rely almost exclusively on a fermentation process called carbonic maceration. In traditional winemaking, crushed grapes ferment with indigenous yeast and exposure to oxygen. In carbonic maceration, whole bunches of uncrushed grapes go into sealed tanks that keep out oxygen.
The weight of the grapes at the top crush grapes at the bottom of the sealed tanks, and fermentation begins at the bottom typically with the help of commercial yeasts. The fermentation creates carbon dioxide that is trapped in the tanks. This causes the whole grapes at the top of the tank to begin internal fermentation, which produces brightly colored, light purple wine with forward fruity traits such as blueberries, bananas and even
Unlike Nouveau Beaujolais, wines from the northern sector typically are fermented in open-top wooden tanks with indigenous yeasts (i.e., yeasts found naturally on the grape skins) and exposure to oxygen. The photo above from Bertrand Celce’s Wine Terroirs website illustrates perfectly. The resulting wines typically show aromas and flavors of darker fruits, along with earthy, meaty notes.
They still offer fine freshness and enjoyable drinking, but with more body and structure which makes for better pairings with food.
Top northern Beaujolais wines come from 10 village “crus” or vineyards. They are, from north to south: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. (See map above.) But just a notch below, the Beaujolais Villages wines come from 38 northern villages surrounding the crus. In the hands of dedicated producers in good vintages, they can produce delicious wines with excellent value.
As Beaujolais Nouveau grabs the headlines, try these northern Beaujolais wines:
The 2022 Jean Foillard, Beaujolais-Villages, France ($24.99; PLCB No. 31831 at Fine Wine & Good Spirits, 5956 Centre Ave., Shadyside) comes from the Foillard family, dedicated producers who work with organically cultivated fruit from vines that receive no synthetic chemical applications.
After harvesting by hand, whole clusters of grapes are vigorously sorted to remove unripe and damaged grapes before fermentation. Aging occurs in used neutral concrete tanks before bottling without filtration and with only a small dose of sulfites added.
The resulting wine’s dark ruby color offers delightful aromas of black cherries, raspberries and meaty notes. On the palate, pure, ripe dark red fruit balances with refreshing fresh acidity and elegant, smooth tannins. The fruity finish lingers pleasantly. It is the perfect wine with beef burgundy stew. Highly recommended!
The 2022 Domaine Chignard, Fleurie “Les Moriers,” France ($29.99; PLCB No. 32190) provides a taste of Beaujolais cru wine with some of the structure of well-made Bourgogne wines just to the north. Les Moriers is a steep, stony vineyard with 60-year-old gamay vines producing marvelously complex grapes. Aging the wine in used foudres (very large oak barrels) before bottling added even more complexity and texture.
The wine’s dark ruby color unfolds aromas of violets and blackberries. On the palate, flavors of dark red fruit with medium concentration layer with fine freshness and velvety tannins for good structure. When drinking the wine now, try to decant it for two to three hours to let it open. Or, age the bottle in cellar and enjoy it in 2027 and beyond.
Cheers!