Last night my tasting group met to sample some 2009 Beaujolais. This was my first experience with the vintage. I usually buy 3 to 9 bottles a vintage of mostly Cheysson and Vissoux (sometimes Lapalu). In 02 and 05 I bought more, and in 09 I will be buying even more. Sure, this is an excellent vintage, but part of the equation is value. While prices are slightly higher in the last decade, for wines of this quality, they are some of the best QPR’s around.
All wines were served blind and consumed over 2.5 hours.
Our host Ray, started us with a white:
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2009 Château Lamothe de Haux Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée
Very pleasant white. Golden in color. The nose has seltzer, slightly grassy, and white grape fruit. On the palate, white grape fruit. Nothing profound here but easy sipping. Would have been nice over the summer. (87 pts.)
The 2009 Beaujolais:
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2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Côte de Brouilly - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côte de Brouilly
Ruby in color with some purple swirls. The nose is cherries, raspberries, slightly Faygo red pop. This drinks very smooth with dark cherries. Light bodied and light tannins. Nice. (88 pts.) -
2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Cuvée l’Ancien Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais
Light ruby in color, clear and bright, slightly pale. The nose is tight. With some air, some cherries came out. Tart cherries on the palate. A bit chalky. Seems like it will develop but awfully tight right now. (87 pts.) -
2009 Damien Coquelet Beaujolais-Villages - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages
i liked this much more than the group. Ruby in color with some purple swirls. Fresh. Raspberries with a slight floral note. A little bit of funk. Nice texture. Raspberry soda. This is rustic for sure but has some depth. A bit of tingly acidity on the finish. (90 pts.) -
2009 Louis Jadot Moulin-à-Vent Clos de Rochegrès Château des Jacques - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
My WOTN and the groups #2 as a few people despised this wine. It was distinct from the others. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is deep, gamey with dark cherries. Also some earthy clay notes. It also had some oak showing which was surprising. Nice texture on the palate. Dark cherries and minerals. Plenty of tannins. This is a serious wine. If served blind, I would be stumped. It was also delicious and in need of a couple years of cellaring. Impressive. Also the most expensive wine at $33. (92 pts.) -
2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Regular bottling. Ruby and pretty in color. The nose is chalky with earthiness and cherries. Silky texture. Plums and dark cherries and an almost menthol note on the finish. Some tannins. I think this gets a bit better. I would like to try the Tardive. This was good and worth the money as it almost always in, but that’s about it. (89 pts.) -
2009 Marcel Lapierre Morgon - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
I liked this far better than the group who put it in last place! Ruby in color, slightly flat, slightly pale. Tight nose that just barely started to open after a couple of hours showing some raspberry. Tingly acidity. Nice texture if a bit light bodied. This was easy to drink but really was not giving up much complexity or fruit. I can’t say it was an off bottle but it seemed like it needs some time. To me, it reminded me of the 05 Burgs on release. I just had a feeling everything was lurking under the surface. In the last twenty minutes, my score went up about 4 points. (90 pts.) -
2009 Pacalet Beaujolais-Villages - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages
The best value of the night! Ruby in color, shimmering bright. Some purple hues. The nose is earthy with iodine and dark cherries. Sweet fruit on the palate, mostly cherries. It has some depth to it. Black licorice on the finish. Long finish and some tannins. So the questions, for under $15, how well will this age? Certainly a few years and maybe more if this has some depth to it. The groups #3 wine. (90 pts.) -
2009 Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils Beaujolais - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais
Light ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is odd, kind of soda pop meets ash tray. Not terribly unpleasant but not as good as the others. Light bodied. Simple and easy to drink. Clipped a bit on the finish. A fine enough wine to drink but not in the league of the other wines IMO. (85 pts.) -
2009 Damien Coquelet Chiroubles - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chiroubles
The groups WOTN and deservedly so (although I preferred the Jadot by a bit). Purple with slight ruby hues. Nice nose. Earthy with cherry powdered drink mix notes. Juicy texture. Serious. Plums and cherries on the palate with a nice mineral streak. Tannic. Long finish. Delicious. (91 pts.) -
2009 Domaine Des Cotes de la Moliere Moulin-à-Vent - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
Also called Perraud. This is a sans souffire bottling. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is gamey with light cherries. A bit thin. Tingly acidity. Long, but slightly bitter finish. Nice enough. Middle of the road. I worry how these will age, but should be all right. (88 pts.)
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