I posted this Day One notes yesterday in the “what did you pop tonight” thread, didn’t feel as if it merited its one thread. And now on Day Two, I’m like wow, give this wine some credit!
Day One
I did not buy much 2013 Beaujolais, but did, as usual, buy Roilette. Rarely fails to please. A throwback to a less ripe period. Love the funky nose, forest floor and drank mushrooms, wild red berries and citrus florals. Palate is fairly lithe, range of tart red berries, citrus acids. Some dryness. I suggest drinking these up, but gotta say, like very much what I see here. Paired really well with a chicken and chorizo kabob. Don’t ask me why and how that was put together, wife made it and I ate it. The wine worked quite well with scale and to counter-balance some of the sausage spice. (90 pts.)
Saved 1/2 bottle for the second night. Just put a cork in it, and put it in the regular refrigerator. And tonight this wine has taken on another layer of flavor, dimension, and weight. Even the color has darkened a bit, with more earthy tones in coloration and brick red tones. The tartness of the palate has smoothed out and softened a bit, more roundness to the prior hard edges. The roundness comes with more depth of flavor and ventures into the darker tones of fruit. More dank and wet earth showing as well. Just goes to show how Beaujolais can often defy the myth that they are to be consumed young, with Roilette clearly the standard-bearer for those that actually command, demand more time in the bottle. They even confound people like me that have been drinking these wines for years, after last night I assumed this was a vintage for me to drink up, and now I am in no rush. Lovely stuff. (93 pts.)
Yup. I really don’t think many people mature their Beaujolais. These are such gorgeous wines with age. I popped yet another 2013 tonight, paired it with blackened shrimp, caramelized shallots, and sautéed mushrooms over potato gnocchi and a light cream sauce.
This wine is nearing apogee. I love these cool climate vintages of Beaujolais, and while I definitely bet more heavily on 2014, I am so thrilled by how 2013 has come along with some of my favorite producers. This Roilette it’s quite literally everything that I want in a mature Beaujolais. So silky on the palate. A beautiful array of tangy red and darker fruits. Nice firm, chalky tannins adding structure in addition to the firm acid. But it is the dank earth pungent aromatics that cause me to swoon. It’s like I’m caught in a dark heavily wooded forest after a rain storm, and the sun is starting to peek through the branches, emitting such a fragrant aroma of undergrowth, mushrooms, and garlic and the like. Just gorgeous. I need to go back to my storage to see how much of the stuff I actually have, and it really makes me realize I’m drinking some of the more recent vintages way too quickly. These are meant to be matured. Right now I am 94 points on this wine.
2011 is another lovely cool weather Beaujolais vintage. I have not had the 2011 Griffe, but the 2011 Cuvee Tardive was hitting its stride a couple of years ago.
I have not checked in on 2023 yet, but the rains have apparently tempered the ripeness.
I am actually hoping to land some 2007 Morgons in the next couple of days. I have been looking far and wide for them – it is the vintage that got me interested in Beaujolais. Would be interesting to check in; it was such a pretty and transparent vintage when young.
That’s funny, Yule. That’s the vintage (2007) that caused me to really look at Beaujolais more seriously. I just bought up some 2023 but I have not tried any outside of one producer that I really really like.
Beaujolais reminds me of Riesling in that most people don’t age them, because (a) they are very pleasant to drink young, (b) they don’t present in their youth in the ways that more obviously suggest ageability, and (c) quite frankly the low price point.
None of that is any disrespect to people who choose to drink these young. It’s just a parallel that occurs to me. These are two categories where a wine that seems young, fruity and simple can really develop a much more of a wine experience with age.
I think these are probably all true (although maybe you refer to off-dry riesling, because the standard for higher-level dry riesling is to age them), but another factor is the composition of the cellar. Many people have lots of Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barolo, whatever that is sitting around waiting for age, so they may need something to drink young! Or at least that is my situation…
And, I must admit that while I enjoy aged Beaujolais, the gains are lower for my palate than for other regions.
Agreed. It’s what makes both of these wines so incredibly versatile. I will admit to drinking my Kabinetts on the young side but have enjoyed some amazing ones with age. Had an 82 Prum a couple years ago at Bern’s that blew me away.
If our Roilette-focused tastings — this one and a smaller one four years ago — have taught me anything that individual bottles cannot, it’s to age Roilette. That, and buy the regular bottling. At least those are the general rules. I hope global warming and ripeness haven’t changed that.
