Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!Â
But I’m not going to post reviews for that style of Beaujolais this year as there are much better values in French Gamay than the 20% sold as glorified barrel samples 8 weeks after harvest. The best of these are made in the 10 “Crus” or growths of Beaujolais. These wines have more much depth than Beaujolais Nouveau and can still be very enjoyable 4-5 years after harvest while Nouveau declines at about 5 months of age. But the craziest thing to me is Cru Beaujolais is the same or less money than Beaujolais Nouveau.
This wine comes from Beaujolais mega-producer Georges Duboeuf who’s promotional genius is largely behind all the Beaujolais Nouveau hype. His wines are available all over the U.S. and most good wine stores will have a selection of his Cru Beaujolais from $10-15 a bottle. Morgon is one of my favorite crus and Duboeuf makes two bottlings: the “Flower” label here and Domaine Jean Descombes. I’ve tried both from the 2005 vintage and they are very close in taste and quality.
Tasting Notes:
Georges Duboeuf, Morgon, “Flower Label” 2005 ($10) – Dark ruby color with aromas of cherry, raspberry and violets. Fresh and juicy black cherry fruit, some white pepper, finishing with supple tannins. An excellent value perfect for the Thanksgiving table.
13% ABV
Natural cork closure
[rating:4/5]
I was just seeing Gamay mentioned on another blog today, what’s great about this choice is the lower ABV that won’t knock you for too much of a loop.
Tim,
You made some mistake on your article. Morgon is not a “Cru”, but a district (i.e. Appellation).
You can find a very detailed list on what are Appellation, what are Cru on http://www.vinobilia.com/
Regards,