Honestly, I tend to like the lighter style Beaujolais. Lighter basic Bojos and lighter crus. The heavier crus just don’t do it for me. So many of the gamay based wine have a unpleasant sour taste to me.
I am beginning to think that I am not a big Beaujolais fan
That’s because it’s not very good.
Bojo’s for me are interesting, intriguing wines, that lack that extra layer of sex appeal that pinots, esp burgs have. If you put almost any bojo next to a burg, I will almost always pick the burg. I just can’t seem to get myself to buy or accumulate Beaujolais.
Wow, quite the piling on against Beaujolais.
Nobody likes everything. If it’s not your thing, move on. Plenty of people love Beaujolais, young, old and in between.
Wish I could open a Lapierre Morgon right now!
I too like Beaujolais for the youth, freshness and its versatility with food. If it ages into something you like that is just an added bonus.
I’m sure we all have plenty of wine that needs/demands some or alot of aging. For me, its great to have a bunch of producers who make wines I can enjoy immediately.
The kicker for me is almost all of the best wines are in the $15-$40 price range - I am not one for the Super Cuvee’s.
For those who don’t like them, I get it. Alot of them are a bit sour cream cheesy/lactic. They don’t have the weight and body of many other varietals and if you hit a lean, medicinal vintage like 2012, even those who do like Bojo will be disappointed with many of those wines.
That said, for me, they have a definite place - easy to drink, great at cellar temp, especially on a warm day and they keep me away from other wines that will improve with extended aging.
I am an unabashed Bojo fiend for reasons of taste and budget, but I’m also sympathetic to the critique about its limited aging potential. Older bottles I’ve had have shed their youthful energy and picked up some nice mature aromas and softer palates, but the grape has its limitations. No matter the dirt or the producer, they never seem to find that “extra gear” of complexity and depth that you find with aged Cabernet, Pinot, or Nebbiolo. That’s okay by me, as I love them for their food-friendly versatility, and they remain exceptionally affordable. Only a couple producers really require aging IMO (Coudert and Jadot CdJ come immediately to mind) to soften up and really be enjoyable.
How many have you had at 20-30+ years of age? I’ve had several from the '80s in the past few years that have been impressive. I can’t imagine any fan of aged Burgundy not liking those. I would think that '06 Desvignes might be shut down.
Oldest I have had was 10 years old, Chanrion 2005 Cotes de Brouilly, supposedly direct from Chanrion. Not great, but I’m not a CdB/Brouilly fan usually (except for Thivin). One bottle finished short and bitter, another bottle had a weird papery/white glue aftertaste.
Which ones are you referring to Doug?
Interesting point.
I’d have to dig through a friend’s tasting notes to see what a couple were. There’s a 1983 Saint Amour that Bern’s has been offering for the past few years (at least) that’s fantastic right now. Also some cru from Duboeuf from the '80s (if I remember correctly), something with no business being good at all, was very good, even in the company of a bunch of very serious wines. There was also a late-'90s cru from Jadot that was very nice and could have improved for at least a few more years. My memory is a big foggy on what the specific wines were, but the point is that I’ve had enough to know that I really, really like where they go with significant maturity. 10 years in nothing for the really ageworthy ones.
+1 to the bolded parts (and most of the rest). Chewy, fruity, great with all kinds of foods, from roast chicken to tomato-based foods, mushrooms. Yum! I have not problem with these five to six years out with good producers and vintages; they often acquire some mellowness in that span.
I’m occasionally impressed with the longevity of a Beaujolais, but beyond 10 years it has never remotely measured up to Burgundy for me. At that stage it’s more of a pleasant curiosity than a great wine. The best have not inspired me to keep newly release wines for 20 or 30 years.
You liked the 1985 Dubœuf Chiroubles Chateau Raousset at Bern’s though, right?
Probably consumed 4 - 5 cases worth of misc. Cru Bojo so far this year. Riper and not ageworthy? Well some of them, maybe. My go to producers are usually very food friendly, restrained and tasty. Weedy and acidic? Sure, so are many impressions of fine Burgundy. I served a 98 Chamonard Morgon Lys blind to a group of Burg lovers in Tucson earlier this year…and to a man, all guessed Burgundy with Volnay leading the vote count.
If you don’t like them, please don’t buy them!
RT
I used to think that I didn’t like Beaujolais, that gamay just wasn’t for me, and for years I avoided it. A few things made me reassess: having some good bojos served to me blind that I called as burgs, and a search for value as burgs have gotten more expensive. As a lower-priced substitute for often disappointing lower end burgs, bottlings from Dutraive, Lapierre, and Foillard (and in a more modern style even Girardin’s venture in Bojo, du Bief) have been at times complex, perfumed and racy. It won’t replace great burgs for me, but I regret being close-minded about Beaujolais for as long as I was. When well chosen they have really pleased me. Next bottle on deck is some Metras.
Maybe my first (and most random) wine purchase was a half case of 1997 Jadot CdJ Moulin-a-Vent that I purchased in 1999 when I graduated college. No idea how I picked this wine out. Knew nothing of Beaujolais at the time.
Have had two of them in the last year and they have aged successfully, with lithe fruit giving way to lovely and Burgundian aromas. Neither past prime nor insipid, these were lovely, but remain my anecdotal experience with aged Bojo. I’ve picked up a bunch of 2013-2015 to keep down for a while, despite how good they are young.
I like Beaujolais, at least from producers who aren’t making the tutti-fruiti, banana bubble gum stuff. To me, it’s a joyous and easily enjoyed wine, not something to be considered a replacement for well-aged Grand Cru Burgundy. But, that’s not a criticism, nor does it cost nearly as much, so I’m not sure why that should be the metric.
-Al
For my palate, Cru Beaujolais is the best wine bargain on the planet. If one is looking for a Chianti, Bordeaux or Burgundy substitute, he/she will be left cold. It lacks the tannins which give those wines structure and grip; instead it relies upon firm acids to give delineation, focus and energy to the wealth of fruit. And they do age and improve nicely. When I go to the cellar, I am typically thinking Burgundy, Champagne or Beaujolais. To each his own. I completely understand that some are not fans, even if they are not basing their opinions on the vile crap of Georges Duboeuf.
We haven’t discussed the difference between methods in re “agability”.
Do you (open to all) think there is a difference between the full carbonic guys vs. tradional vs. the hybrids?
MAV has long been held as the cru that requires/benefits from aging (and I agree to some extent).
That said, for me I’ll enjoy most of them within their first 5 years.
We had a beautiful 2005 Chermette “Poncie” Fleurie last night. Remarkably pretty and floral (though I’m willing to grant that my descriptor might be influenced by the cru).
I’d have no hesitation to hold onto that longer.
Jay we can’t keep our hands off the 2014 Chermette “Poncie” Fleurie, although it’ll certainly be better in another year or 3. Too good now…but only if you like Cru Beaujolais.
Hard to beat these wines for value. Over the past year in the $15 - $30 range, Beaujolais, Loire Reds, Chianti, Northern Italian Nebbs, Oregon Pinots and ESJ Syrahs have been making my palate and wallet very happy. It might be an “inexpensive” wine rut, but it’s an enjoyable one!
RT