I decided to do a little test drive of some 2014 Beaujolais. The selected wines were the 2014 Chateau Thivin Cote de Brouilly and the 2014 Georges Descombes Brouilly. Overall the two wines were quite similar, with ruby red color, light to medium body (more on the light side), good acidic backbone and light tannins. Overall it would have been hard to tell the two wines apart. I wanted to like them.
Unfortunately both wines had an identical flaw. Each one showed a green tobacco note that grew in intensity over time. While I was not initially put off by the note, it came to dominate both wines, as there was not enough fruit depth to counterbalance the green. I left the Thivin overnight to see what it would do, but the imbalance only became worse with time. I did not come close to finishing half of either bottle.
I am not sure what was going on here. I had read good things about 2014 from people I trust, but these were not for me.
I’d almost be inclined to think that these are entering a bit of an awkward phase. The Thivin, when young, was perfectly ripe and abundantly fruity, but with good acid and excellent balance. It was in my opinion nearly a perfect young Beaujolais. Certainly not underripe in any way. We drank a case way too fast.
I found 2014 and 2015 to be excellent vintages of Thivin, and both rather different. I love the acidity and salinity of '14 but damn is that '15 fruit sexy!
Funny for me to say this considering all of my crapola on the Bordeaux threads, but I agree. I know 2015 is getting panned by a lot of the classicists around here, which is fine, but so far I have really enjoyed the 2015s. Just got in my Metras 2015s, so will be popping one of those soon.
The funny thing is that had it not been followed by 15, I have to think that 14 would be considered rather forward vintage. It’s no shrinking violet. 15 has the potential to be overripe if not handled properly.
Many of the 2014s I’ve had have shown a subtle herbal note, though none have turned into a green monster like that. I haven’t had the Thivin, though, and do usually find a stalky note in the Descombes.
Finally getting around to opening another bottle of the 2014 Thivin; needs a little bit more air to get going but once it does, oh my…a great reminder of why I bought a case of this. The iron and earth notes that characterize Thivin seem to be further in the background than they were last year, the fruit showing more prominent and backed by a pronounced impression of minerals, with moderate-plus acidity heightening the latter. David, I have to say that while I’m not getting any overt tobacco or green on the nose, there’s certainly a minty herbaceous note and, at least for my palate, it adds even more depth to an already complex, lovely wine.
Really, this is probably the best vintage of Thivin I’ve tasted, just beautiful and a “wow” wine for me…honestly, the 2014 might be the best Beaujolais I’ve ever tasted.
I can’t speak to these wines as I follows other produces (Bouland, Grange Cochard, Roche Guillon, & Vissoux) but I think weather you prefer 2014 or 2015 speaks to what you are looking for from Beaujolais. For me the 2015s like the 2009s are great raucous explosions of fruit and energy. Fun delicious wines to be enjoyed young for there youthful charms, not really for cellaring witch isn’t a big issue since you can’t keep your hands off of them. Where as the 2014s more like the 2011s less fruit, more acid, mineral and herb, so more like pinot and more for the cellar.
For me the 2015s like the 2009s are great raucous explosions of fruit and energy. Fun delicious wines to be enjoyed young for there youthful charms, not really for cellaring witch isn’t a big issue since you can’t keep your hands off of them. Where as the 2014s more like the 2011s less fruit, more acid, mineral and herb, so more like pinot and more for the cellar.
I see the 2015s (off a limited sample size) as rather unlike the 2009s in some important respects. Tasting the 2009s young, I always felt that they had exuberant fruit, but had the flavor depth and acidity to age into something quite nice. I don’t have that same confidence in the 2015s, and won’t be buying many.
If you are looking for exuberant fruit to drink now, the 2015s will make you happy. If you are buying them to age into something with a bit more classic profile, I think you’ll be disappointed, in a way that 2009 will not disappoint, I think.
It doesn’t hurt that I’ve got piles of 05, 09, 10, 11, and 14 beaujolais in the cellar, and see no need to take a chance on wines that may not please me down the line.
I’ve had a number of 2014’s: Coudert (both the regular and the Tardive), Metras, Lapierre, Kevin Descombes, Sunier, Foillard and Guignier and I’ve found them to be from very good to superb: great acid, great fruit - lively, light and floral - very little green.
OTOH - The 2015’s I’ve had were nasty. I love fresh exuberant fruit as much as the next Red Burg lover, but these wines were hot, overripe and heavy. I had 2 Dutraive cuvees and the Lapierre and gave up on the vintage. Maybe I’d try the Metras, but I don’t want to pay for the data myself.
I actually just had a bottle this past weekend. I thought it was a tasty bojo and would drink again, although I find the 2014 Coudert Tardive to be a far superior wine