Hi Folks,
While the Thivins’ Cote de Brouilly bottlings generally arrive at a good point of drinkability around age seven or eight, one can certainly be rewarded for waiting a bit longer on the wines. At this stage (age 7 or 8) the structure tends to peel back nicely and offer up plump fruit and very classy transparency, but I really like them substantially older. Fifteen to wenty years of age in a top vintage is really a special place for these wines, as they seem to grow exponentially in complexity from about age twelve onwards. The 1989 a couple of years back was just stunning, with all of its sappy, blackberry fruit stil intact, but all sorts of other, savory elements swirling around the pure fruit and the great base of stony soil tones. It is my guess that the Geoffrays drink their Cote de Brouilly bottlings primarily around the 20 year mark, and tend to opt for their very, very serious straight Brouilly bottling when the cuisine calls for a younger wine. I have been trying to learn from their example and still have not touched my 2005s or any subsequent vintages, as my gut instinct suggests that there are a lot more fireworks to come from these vintages if one can just keep from pulling corks on them now. For the record, Claude Geoffray prefers his 2009 to his 2005, as he thinks the '09 is one of the greatest vintages of his illustrious career. On the other hand, I have a slight preference for the rock solid purity of the 2005, so this is the vintage that I loaded up on in comparison to the other recent vintages at Thivin. But, the 2010 is no slouch and a superb follow-up to the 2009- not as voluptuous at the core, but laser-like in its precision of fruit expression and chiselled soil tones- it will be a simply beautiful wine at age ten or twenty.
All the Best,
John
Thanks for chiming in, John; appreciate your analysis and depth of experience. Plus, I feel validated in my splurge on 09 mags now 
I’ve only been drinking cru Beaujolais for a few years, but feel I’m learning the juicy voluptuousness of even the very good young wines is less than half the story. It seems like there’s a whole aspect to Gamay that is hidden until the wines have gone through a shut-down phase comparable to that of, say, good Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Riesling. The few glimpses I’ve caught of the wines on the far side of this developmental stage have been really surprising in their class, poise, and refinement, bearing little resemblance to the wines’ popular reputation.
Cheers.
Was going to buy just 4 more but ended up grabbing six more on special at $15ea. Total steal! With 8 blts in the cellar this is my new house Burg:) Last time I checked someone out east has them for $20 and for $16 on a cs price.
Popped another last night. This is an outstanding, but “in your face” Bojo with very ripe, sappy fruits. Enough acidity to keep the wine from going over the edge, but I can see how tradionalists will prefer other vintages. I paid $26.99 for this bottle, but am on vacation at a resort, so prices inflated accordingy. Still, probably the only decent buy in that shop filled with Silver Oak, Caymus, Jordan, et al.
Robert, you could do a lot worse on vacation looking for a good wine in shops you don’t know. Much better to find this relatively unknown gem then say a nice but likely overpriced CA PN. I think we’re going to open another btl tomorrow night with home made pizza. I love this wine, but you knew that.
I tried the 2010 tonight, pop and pour with burgers at The Counter in Newport. It’s definitely less ripe, yummy and crowd-pleasing than the 2009, but it has a bit more complexity – leather, seed/pit flavors, some raw grapeyness and stony mineral. It’s a bit coarse, but shows a lot of terroir, and it may smooth out a bit in the next year or with extended aeration.
I’d expect the AFWE and Bojo purists would prefer the 2010, and everyone else (myself included) would prefer the 2009, but they’re both good in their own way, and tremendous QPR.
Finally got my hands on a bottle of this wine. Just as Craig describes it, rich-feeling and voluminous for a young Thivin, with lots of sweet fruit, without ever blurring over into Beaujolais clichés. I thought the finish was a bit short, relative to the whole, but a very nice wine and great value at around $20. Would like to try the 2010 soon.
Fwiw, Legend Wines in New Jersey is closing these out at $15. No affiliation or financial interest, etc., but they are nice guys there.
Ian, I’m working on my 2010 buy right now and looking fwd to trying one. $15 is a steal for the 09. That’s what I paid too for the six I bought.
Drinking the 09 Fessy Brouilly right now and was gonna post on how dang good this stuff is, but must admit, the Thivin is another level!!
i closed my books on 09 Beaujolais months ago, but couldn’t resist the tariff here.
Cheers.