The clock just struck Beaujolais for us.
Beaujolais is a great year-round wine. It’s excellent with a wide variety of dishes, from seafood to outdoor grilling to hearty stews. And, of course, for one day in November, Beaujolais Nouveau is a great excuse for a harvest party. So, like Meryl Streep, it can be whatever you want it to be, without ever losing its own character. But we especially associate Beaujolais with fall, maybe because its life and vibrancy remind us of the changing colors of leaves and beautiful weather.
So we ordered a whole bunch of different Beaujolais and enjoyed them day after day for more than two weeks. We’re here with our report.
We’ve always been big fans of Beaujolais, which is made from the Gamay grape in the Beaujolais region of France, at the southern area of Burgundy. Looking back at our notes, we seem to have consumed it like water back in the early 1980s. We generally paid $3.99 to $4.99, which was perfect for two young journalists trying to get by in New York City. Over the years, Beaujolais has at times lost some of its mojo, both in terms of quality and buzz. Good Beaujolais was caught in-between party-wine Nouveau and an overall red-wine market looking for bolder wines. Even many wine writers only mentioned it in late November to say, “Nouveau is not real Beaujolais – try these instead!”
When we are looking for an affordable, basic Beaujolais, we prefer the youngest vintage we can find – in this case, 2023, if possible, because we enjoy the charm and vigor of young Beaujolais. It’s different with the more distinguished Beaujolais from the 10 Crus, like Saint-Amour. Those 10, from choice communes, are the most prized category of Beaujolais, ranking above Beaujolais-Villages, which is a notch higher than basic Beaujolais. (There will not be a quiz at the end, but it’s worth knowing the names of the 10 appellations because the word “Beaujolais” is sometimes not on the label. They are Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié and Saint-Amour.) Over the years, we’ve found those often have some special depth and structure – minerals, earth – that make them particularly interesting and food-worthy. Some of these can also age well and occasionally make us think of well-bred Burgundies.
What did we find this time?
Our little tasting started with a bang. It was Pierre-Marie Chermette Beaujolais “Griottes” 2023 and we paid $17.96. The wine just about leaped from the glass. We wrote: “The real thing. Vibrant color. Lively, a lot of vibrant acidity. Could even be a white though there are red cherry, raspberry and blueberry notes. A touch of salinity. Jammy, in the best sense of that word.” Griottes translates as “sour cherries.” Dottie asked, “Who wouldn’t like this?”
How often do you have a wine that good for less than $20?
We had not been familiar with Chermette. But there are small producers like Chermette who make excellent Beaujolais and they are worth seeking out, though any specific one might be hard to find. This one, hand-picked and aged in concrete, was imported by Weygandt-Metzler and was 13% alcohol. Its back label reads, “Winemaking from the heart and soul of the grape.”
To be sure, the wines were not all winners. Some lacked charm, while others were strangely, overly acidic. Even so, since we paid $27 or less for each, we would not have been too upset about picking one up for dinner. We prefer Beaujolais with a slight chill; we have found over the years that a so-so Beaujolais and some other reds are better with more of a chill, while a better Beaujolais shows more focused fruit and vitality as it warms.
As usual, we enjoyed Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages. We have been drinking this négociant Beaujolais-Villages for decades and it rarely disappoints. Even mediocre wine stores often seem to have a recent vintage, so we know we have a backup when we walk through the door. We paid $14.99 for the 2023, which is 13% alcohol. We wrote: “Especially for the price and the availability, this is a winner. Charming, simple in a good way, with nice fruit.”
Kobrand, the sole importer, whose owners bought Louis Jadot in Beaune in 1985, said Jadot does not release production numbers. Kobrand imported 140,000 cases of the 2023 and it is sold in all 50 states.
Cru Beaujolais is a special treat. We were reminded of that when we opened “Domaine des Billards” Héritiers Loron Saint-Amour 2021, which cost $24.96 and was 13% alcohol. We wrote: “The presence of a Burgundy with the pop of Gamay. Depth and minerals. Could age beautifully. What a great deal. Real wine. Blackberries and black cherries. So very dry.” Imported by Bowler, Domaine des Billards, which is farmed without the use of herbicides, has been owned by two families for more than 200 years.
And then another small-production wine: Domaine Franck Besson Juliénas “Le Griottier” 2022, which cost $24.99 and was farmed organically. “This has the life and fruit of a good Beaujolais, but a little bit of weight, too, which means it might go with a wide variety of food,” we wrote. It’s 13.5% alcohol. We had it with Dottie’s spare ribs and it was a fine pairing – the sweet ribs and charred ends played against the earthy, minerally, red berry, fruity tastes of the wine. We’re ready to have that all over again right now. We read that its name, “Le Griottier,” comes from an ancient sour cherry tree that grows on the property. We were so taken with this wine that we contacted Eva W. Zorad, co-owner with Angela DeLuca of Bonhomie Wine Imports, to ask some questions about this wine and, more broadly, about the ups and downs of Beaujolais.
(Franck Besson, Beaujolais winemaker)
Grape Collective: How much of this was made?
Zorad: 200 cases.
GC: How much was imported? Are you the sole importer?
Zorad: We’ve imported about 60 cases of this vintage. There is one other market for this wine, North Carolina, that we do not supply directly. It’s only sold in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina.
GC: This really showed the fruit, life and vibrancy that we look for in Beaujolais. Just from your own experience, what’s the key to that?
Zorad: The area of Juliénas just might make some of the most lovely/lively wines of Gamay, in my opinion. Franck is such a fun and jovial person, always smiling and open to the experience. His wines show that. I think when growers are humble and let the nature in the wine speak, more than trying to “make a wine,” you get that special expression.
GC: Can you tell us a bit about the ups and downs of Beaujolais, just overall, in terms of sales and perception?
Zorad: Since my first decade in the business as a retailer, I have definitely seen an arc. However, my love for the region and the freshness of the wines never made it a hard sell for me personally. I believe that I turned a lot of people on to Gamay, and Nouveau was the thing most knew of before really hands-on wine shops began opening around New York City/Brooklyn in the early-mid 2000s. What a time! We could sell incredible wines from Beaujolais under or around $20. Now most of those wines that have become the regional darlings are double the price.
GC: We think Beaujolais is getting its groove back. You?
Zorad: I personally think Beaujolais (at least in my 20 years in the wine business) always had a groove. I think as an importer, we bring wines with a bit more lift/acidity/freshness that are meant for the table and convivial moments and it’s nice to see when folks’ palates understand that -- thanks to quality retailers/educators/somms who will take them on the journey.
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher conceived and wrote The Wall Street Journal's wine column, "Tastings," from 1998 to 2010. Dorothy and John have been tasting and studying wine since 1973. In 2020, the University of California at Davis added their papers to the Warren Winiarski Wine Writers Collection in its library, which also includes the work of Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. Dottie has had a distinguished career in journalism as a reporter, editor, columnist and editorial writer at The Miami Herald, The New York Times, and at The Journal. John was Page One Editor of The Journal, City Editor of The Miami Herald and a senior editor at Bloomberg News. They are well-known from their books and many television appearances, especially on Martha Stewart's show, and as the creators of the annual, international "Open That Bottle Night" celebration of wine and friendship. The first bottle they shared was André Cold Duck. They have two daughters.
