Pascal Chatelus, Beaujolais Nouveau 2007

Tim — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:16:47 +0000

To me Beaujolais Nouveau is a celebration wine as it is released the week of my birthday each year. It also celebrates the just completed harvest and the promise for the wines made in Burgundy that year. Seems a lot of wine geeks and other bloggers don’t care for the stuff and that’s fine with me as you should drink what you like.

Before I present my favorite wine tasted this year, a bit of a story about my relationship with Beaujolais Nouveau. Back when I lived in Orange County, California there was a restaurant called Bouzy Rouge in Newport Beach. This was before the area was branded “The OC” in television and lifestyles of housewives so a bit of eccentricity was still allowed. The owner’s dilapidated Citroen was parked in front of the restaurant and they had some fun events, like the Beaujolais Nouveau release each year. My wife and I went every year we lived there and the young wine was served directly from the barrel into carafe or glass. It was almost like you were in Beaujolais. So this is what I remember each year when the time comes to try the new vintage.

This year I went to a couple of the better local stores and sampled 7 or 8 wines from different producers. Most were fine; fruity and exuberant but seemed a bit one dimensional which is par for the course here. Only one wine was very disappointing, served from promotional barrel (a very small one) that took me back to Bouzy Rouge. Ironically it was from the same producer I enjoyed so many years ago, Georges Duboeuf (could have been an off-barrel, I suppose). But of all the wines I sampled, only one stood out as something I’d like to take home. And I did just that and offer this review from the bottle opened this evening.

Pascal Chatelus, Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 ($12) - Bright ruby in color with aromas of wild cherry candy and banana. Juicy and tart in the mouth with candied cherry and strawberry fruit with some banana from the mid-palate to the finish. Just what I’m looking for in a Beaujolais Nouveau. Drink before 2008, preferably with food and good friends.

12.5% ABV
Composite cork closure
Score: 84
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Winecast 70 - Gamay Noir

Tim — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:23 +0000

Another look at the Gamay Noir grape, this time focusing mostly on New World examples from Napa Valley and Oregon. I interview Drew Dickson from the Andrew Lane Winery and announce my raffle prize in the Menu For Hope III Campaign.

Show Notes:

00:21 - Introduction and show theme
00:39 - Gamay Noir background
01:20 - Interview with Drew Dickson from Andrew Lane
08:22 - Tasting Notes
08:53 - Andrew Lane, Gamay Noir, Napa Valley 2004 ($18/sample)
09:15 - Amity Vineyards, Gamay Noir, “Anden Vineyards” 2004 ($17) *
10:07 - Laboure-Roi, Beaujolais-Villages, Saint-Armand 2004 ($11)+
11:17 - Best of Tasting *
11:22 - Best Value +
11:29 - Menu for Hope III Campaign
13:23 - Contact Details
13:40 - Next Show Theme

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Winecast » Gamay Noir

Pascal Chatelus, Beaujolais Nouveau 2007

Winecast 70 - Gamay Noir