Hey Otto, assuming you’ve had more than just Foillard from 2018, is this common with all 2018 Bojos or just this producer? I normally quite like Foillard but haven’t had any of their 2018s.
I’ve had Foillard’s Cuvée Corcelette and Côte du Py along with a small handful of other 2018 Bojos.
The only fresh, classic Bojo I’ve had from 2018 has been Alex Foillard’s Brouilly, clocking at 13%.
In another thread William Kelley was saying some positive things about Guy Breton 2018’s as well.
Other than that, it seems like it’s a minefield I’ll gladly avoid. Apart from the Alex Foillard wine, all of them have been more Grenache than Gamay. Super-ripe, sweet-toned, relatively low in acidity and high in alcohol. People who have cut their teeth with Napa Cabs might still find them quite fresh and delicate, but they are just too clumsy for my palate.
I’m with Otto, mixed experience with 2018. Had a Dejournaries Impenitent 2016 last week to remind me how damn good that vintage is.
Guess you meant to write Desvignes, but had Domaine Jules Desjouneys on your mind, too?
I should add the P-H Thillardon wines to the list of more medium-bodied, <13% wines produced in the 2018 vintage.
Lol. Yes, Desvignes! Thanks for catching that.
I actually liked the 17 more than the 16, which I thought was an outlier, and didn’t live up to its reputation in that vintage. Another percent abv pushes the envelope, though I have liked Thivin’s 18.
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One last point: even more than usual, for 2018, I think there should be an emphasis on the serving temp of Beaujolais wines. Feels like the sweet spot is ~15 degrees celsius to keep them nice and brisk.
How does the 2018 compare to the 2015? I believe the 2015 clocked in around 14.5%abv. I don’t have anymore of the 15, to check in on but am waiting on my 18’s to arrive. I enjoyed 16 and 17 quite a bit with the edge going to 16 for its classic profile.
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Had a bottle of the '18 last night.
Ripe and accessible. Liqueur cherry meets raspberry confiture with some purple flowers thrown in for good measure. It is fleshy and luscious and just a little bit slutty. It is delicious and despite its relatively soft acidity, remains bright and energetic the whole bottle through.
How is this for sh-t and g-ggles??
(It is a joke, probably a bad one, but still interesting to me! I mean, his Wiki does say Sergey’s parents are Jewish… )
What red is most affected by serving temp would be a great thread.
Well, I had this one thread where we had a handful of Bojos from 2015-2018: French naturalistas and other curiosities (Foillard, Dauvissat, Desjourneys, Vini Viti Vinci, etc.) - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
While there is no Foillard Côte du Py 2015, there’s Côte du Py 2018, Cuvée Corcelette 2018 and Côte du Py Athanor 2015. And a 2016 vintage of Cuvée 3.14 to serve as a counterpoint to these wines.
I tend to drink my Beaujolais a wee bit cooler than most other reds. Had a killer 2016 Lapierre Morgon Sans Soufre last night, pulled from the wine fridge at 57 and put it in real fridge for maybe ten minutes. I’m thinking 53-55 is ideal. But the good news is, if you over-chill it, it warms in the glass, yay.
I tend to do this with Beaujolais that I open and don’t love–I stick them in the fridge for a bit more chill. But my favorites (including Foillard, Thevenet and Lapierre) I prefer closer to 60, so I just pour at cellar temp and drink from there.
William Kelly loves Roilette in 2018 as well.
I haven’t tried any 18s yet, but I did just buy a sampler pack based mostly on WK’s praise for these:
2018 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Cuvée Tardive
2018 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly
2018 Thivin Reverdon
2018 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py
2018 Diochon Moulin-á-Vent VV
I think you’ll enjoy all of those! Roilette Tardive 2018 is very reminiscent of the 2011…
To me, the hating on 2018 Beaujolais is a little exaggerated. Taste 500+ examples of it, and you will find that it’s a charming, easygoing, fruit-driven vintage as a whole; with some out-of-balance monsters (though fewer than 2015), and some really excellent wines which are built to age. If it isn’t the amazing vintage that the region’s publicity body claimed (and as several commentators reiterated), by no means is it a train wreck.
It seems, however, that despite what happened in 2003, 2005, 2009, 2015, and 2017, it’s only with the 2018 vintage that folks are figuring out that what is happening in all European wine regions is happening in the Beaujolais, and that the vintages that used to be the norm are likely, in the future, to be the exceptions. Hopefully the kind of balance attained in the best 2019s will be a more appealing model of what a more sun-kissed future can hold than 2018 is proving to be for some of the people who haven’t appreciated Foillard’s 2018 here…
Had a bottle of the '18 Charmes Eponym last night. It was ripe and fleshy, with spiced blood plum fruit and plenty of florals. It is plush in the mouth, with good depth and a finish carried by sweet tannins. A very good drink but a notch below the Py.
William, have you tried the 2018 Pirolette Saint-Amour? I thought it was really nice, even though it is a bit larger-scaled it still had crunch and vibrancy. I’ve really liked the Lebaupin Clos de la Brosse Saint-Amour in '16 and '17, too, but I don’t think the '18 is here yet. Have you tasted that one?
Yes, here’s the review -
More extravagantly fruit-driven and enveloping than its elder sibling [the 2017, also reviewed in that issue], the 2018 Saint-Amour wafts from the glass with notions of black cherries, mulberries and licorice. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, velvety and supple, with ripe acids, melting tannins and considerable charm. While it may not make old bones, this Saint-Amour is already hard to resist. 90/100
Cautionary caveat: the last two bottles of the 2015 I tasted were getting a bit oxidative, having been quite delicious on release.