Festive and Carefree– Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé!

Could there be anything more fun than a group of festive winelovers toasting to the good life of wine, food, and friendship? Of course not! Each year, on the third Thursday of November, millions of people around the world pour Beaujolais Nouveau, a refreshing wine of Gamay from the most recent vintage in Beaujolais and do just that. I guarantee that on November 15, revelers in bars and cafes located in each town and village of France (and points east, west, north, and south, by the way) will be celebrating the 2018 harvest with an aromatic, fruit forward wine that’s a delicious indication of this magnificent vintage year in Beaujolais, a region known for its wines of Gamay (and to a small extent, its wines of Chardonnay).

What will be paired with Beaujolais Nouveau on November 15? There will be an array of foods (Beaujolais Nouveau pairs with anything!) and a multitude of friends ready to celebrate!

Beaujolais Nouveau is not intended to be a serious wine with layers of complexity and structure… those wines will be released later! Instead, this young wine, served slightly chilled, is meant to be approachable, easy drinking, fun and carefree. In my opinion, Beaujolais Nouveau is a wonderful, youthful introduction to the world of Beaujolais and the beautiful wines that are produced there.

According to French law in 1985, “to facilitate the commercialization of the 500,000 hectolitres produced each year, a release date of the third Thursday of November at 12:01am was fixed by decree” and still applies today. The Beaujolais Nouveau wines represent only 15% of the total production of Beaujolais that includes twelve appellations, including ten crus. Gamay grapes in Beaujolais Nouveau are cultivated by over 2000 winegrowers in AOC Beaujolais, the largest of the AOCs and located towards the south of the region, not far from the city of Lyon, and AOC Beaujolais Villages that surrounds the many hills of the ten Crus.

Just a few days ago, I returned from a stellar trip to Beaujolais where I visited a plethora of wineries in each of twelve appellations and tasted exceptional examples of how the Gamay grape expresses its specific terroir. Everyone with whom I talked praised the 2018 vintage as one of quantity and quality. With a winter that was free of frost, just enough rain in the spring, and plenty of heat in the summer, Gamay and Chardonnay grapes ripened early in 2018 and for many growers, harvest began at the very end of August.

And that Beaujolais Nouveau? Tradition is that Beaujolais Nouveau is bottled six to eight weeks after harvest and I was fortunate to taste a few examples that were ready for release.

With next-generation winemaker Claire Chessaly at Domaine Chassely, I swirled and sipped an organic wine that had been bottled only a week prior to my visit. Light and refreshing, with fruit and subtle notes of spice from the beginning to end, this is available in many countries around the world (including the United States) on November 15.

Yannick de Vermont, fifth generation family member at Chateau de Vaux, shared his family’s Beaujolais Nouveau 2018, a true fruit-forward, surprisingly broad wine with a deep, rich color. At this time, the wine is available in the United Kingdom.

Tasting wine with Katy Ruet, fourth generation family member and winemaker at Domaine Ruet, was a treat since I had initially met her at a tasting of her portfolio in Chicago in 2017. Katy popped the corks of a refreshing Domaine Ruet Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé 2018 that burst with nuances of soft red fruits and mouthwatering acidity. The Domaine Ruet Beaujolais Nouveau 2018 and Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2018 offered concentrated red fruit flavors with each sip. Available in selected markets around the world, Americans can find these choices in New York, Houston, and Denver.

Found internationally are the popular Beaujolais Nouveau wines of Georges DuBoeuf. Romain Teyteau, Export Director USA, explained that for the first year, a Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé is released along with the brand’s traditional Beaujolais Nouveau. As a surprise, I discovered that I was the first person in the United States (maybe the Northern Hemisphere!) to taste these wines with winemaker Emeric Gaucher. Click here to view my impressions of the Rose!!

 

I’ll be writing about the memorable wines, vineyards, landscape, and people of Beaujolais with more detail in the days and weeks to come. For now, though, enter the fascinating world of Beaujolais on November 15 with easy drinking, festive Beaujolais Nouveau in your glass paired with plenty of good food and dear friends.

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!

Cheers! ~ Cindy