Or primeurs as the French, so often, refer to them. 162 wines, tasted blind in deepest Beaujolais, 04 November 2020:
2020 is the next in a series of warm vintages in the Beaujolais; it was frost-free in the Springtime and there was practically no hail in the Summer either. If there was to be one problem it was the dryness – some areas were described by locals as ‘being on the limit.‘
Yet when it came to the harvest they had good, clean, grapes – even those with quite high degrees of potential alcohol. The final figures are not yet available for the yields in 2020 but the current expectation is for volumes that are below the average due to the aforementioned dryness. If that turns out to be the case, I won’t be at all surprised.
2020 and the most recent vintages:
I’ve done this tasting since the 2017 vintage, and whilst the recent quality from Grower Nouveau is on a much, higher level than I can ever recollect – and with much more consistency too – it seems to me that yields go a long way to defining what you will find in a bottle of Nouveau.
I’m certain that it’s not particularly from the perspective of absolute quality that yields show themselves but rather from the perspective of the consistency of the observed quality where they play their role. Some people will always go to the maximum allowed – 65 hl/ha – whilst others are quite happy with 45 – or less:
Vintage 2017 – a warm, clean, early vintage – one hailstorm excepted – but low yielding. The best wines were excellent and the quality was consistent
Vintage 2018 – a warm clean and again an early vintage but with many higher-yielding places where the producers allowed. I observed significant quality differences in the samples – I largely attributed this to big swings in yields.
Vintage 2019 – another warm vintage with harvesting a little later but because of both frost and hail, yields were cut. The best wines were of high quality and the consistency was intermediate to 2017 and 2018.
Vintage 2020 – a warm clean vintage with consistently below-average yields. The best wines, once again, show high quality and a consistency that’s at least as good as seen in the 2017s. The wines are relatively powerful and well constructed, the ‘villages’ wines generally need a little patience but are consistently excellent! NB Given the early harvest in 2020, these wines have seen nearly an extra month of ageing – that’s 33% more! – than would be the case for a, more traditional, late-September harvest. In 2020 you can almost blind-buy Beaujolais-Villages-Nouveau as they are overwhelmingly excellent, less-so Beaujolais Nouveau but still with some confidence. Of course, if you don’t want to gamble, try the list further below.
And the market?
Of course, it’s a nightmare time to have an en-primeur campaign in ‘mid-lockdown’ but judging by the number of trucks on French roads, logistics still seem to be effective. It’s (still) a very important slice of the region’s sales for these primeurs – Japan representing the largest export market after the US, Canada, Switzerland and then the UK. About 46% of the production was exported from France in 2019, when Nouveau accounted for nearly 30% of all the sales from Beaujolais – about 21 million bottles – and that now includes 2 million bottles of rosé too!
So how are the wines? One week before the big day, here is my list of 21 goto wines from 162 tasted 04 November 2020:
2020 Beaujolais Nouveau:
2020 Fellot Emmanuel, Vieilles-Vignes
2020 Château de L’Eclair
2020 Coquard Christophe
2020 Famille Chasselay, La Marduette
2020 Jean Loron, Tradition Vieilles Vignes
2020 Domaine Girin
2020 Trenel
2020 Chandesais, Petit Marcel
2020 Domaine Perroud Robert, Vieilles-Vignes
2020 Les Vins Aujoux
2020 Beaujolais Villages Nouveau:
2020 Domaine Nesme Mickael
2020 Famille Chevrier
2020 Colonge André et Fils, N°1 Gasby Gamay
2020 Fessy Henry, Tradition
2020 Domaine Lagneau
2020 Domaine des Fournelles – Dumontet Guillaume
2020 Lacondemine Jérôme, Coeur de Raisin
2020 Domaine Monternot Les Jumeaux
2020 Dubost Jean Paul, Beaujolais Lantignié
2020 Cave du Château des Loges, Les Trois Madones
2020 Boudeau Nicolas
Click below to see the full notes for all 162 wines:
I love the diversity of ‘Nouveau‘ labels…
2020 Beaujolais-Nouveau Rosé:
Yes, rosé is ever-more a thing when it comes to Beaujolais Nouveau, accounting for 2 million bottles in 2019, and the number of rosé sampled for this tasting is increasing each year:
2020 Oedoria, Bon’oeur fruité
Salmon colour. There’s a little salinity and good clarity of aroma. Full, energetic, rich, a little structure and very saline – concentrated but balanced. A lovely finish – that’s a very good start.
2020 Domaine Romy, Le Mouflet
Much paler colour. Fresh a little herbed aroma, faintly floral. More energetically fresh – a touch of extra acidity – longer too. Saline again. Fine finishing. Very different – my slight favourite.
2020 Agamy Signé Vignerons, Le Nouveau de Juliette
Salmon pink again. A structural nose – but very nicely done. Intermediate in style to the last two – concentration but lots of energy. Fruity, saline – a big wave of finishing flavour. A crowd-pleaser for sure, with a little floral anecdote to finish. I’ve still a slight preference for the last but that’s purely stylistically ie not from quality perspective. Delicious wine.
2020 Château de Lachassagne
Deeper colour. A larger nose – full of freshness. Driving, energetic, a little strawberry in the mix, saline again, strong finishing too. Powerful wine – but also very tasty wine.
2020 Deschamps Philippe, Perle de Rosé
Pale salmon pink. A deeper nose, vibrant, perhaps faintly reductive. Flavours that are a combination of salt and sweet, touched with herb – deeply finishing. Not currently the most attractive of these but still a good glass of wine – just give it some air.
2020 Collin Bourisset
Pale colour again. A modest volume of aroma but it’s a good and inviting aroma – with a fine fruit accented with salt. Intense, more acidic, less easy to adjust your taste-buds to after the previous wines. Too much? A little, but I find the direct finish completely delicious.
2020 Vignerons des Pierres Dorées, Terra Iconia
Pale colour. Big, fresh and inviting. Similar acidity to the last – so plenty – but better covered by the richness of the fruit flavour. Intense in the finish, modestly saline, long and mouth-watering. Excellent.
2020 Chandesais, Petit Marcel
Perfect salmon pink. That’s a good nose with a little herb. Bright, wide, a little balancing richness, a touch of banana in the middle before the salinity and sweetness take over in the finish. I’d give this a year of bottle time…
2020 Jean Loron
Pale salmon colour. Attractive, wide, fresh, crushed red fruits. Full, energetic, slightly sweet, lovely acidity – delicious finishing. Excellent!
2020 Ferraud P et Fils
Pale colour. A modest but pure nose. Wide, intense, acid-forward, but very tasty, again with a little banana – lovely finishing…
2020 Cave de Clochemerle
Another pale wine. Slightly perfumed but a little compact aromatically. Energetic, complex, saline – no hard edges but lots of energy. That’s a super wine – excellent
2020 Chermette Pierre Marie, Griottes
Just a little extra colour here. The nose is more than a little suphitic – aeration would suggest more mineral – they are often connected. The flavour reflects the nose except for the finish which is clean and tasty.
2020 Domaine Joncy
Pale salmon. A more open, larger nose but subtly accented with florals. Quite a structured wine, there’s a certain rigour here. Lots of energy. A wine for keeping a little longer – if you buy!
2020 Beaujolais-Villages-Nouveau Rosé:
2020 Domaine Longère
Medium-pale colour. Wider, a nice clarity to this aroma too. Mouth-filling, energetic, intense too – but all in balance. I’d keep this in the cellar at least 6 months– but all is in place… Excellent…
2020 Beaujolais-Nouveau:
2020 Domaine de Tanay – François de Nanton
Lots of colour – deep but not saturated. A nose with a modest impact but tightly guarding most of its secrets. Full-attack, mouth-watering, a little structural, slightly sour acidity in the finish. Good but not great.
Deep colour. The nose more open, showing more purity of fruit and a little graphite minerality. Wide, energetic, nicer depth to the fruit flavour – almost a little cordial style. Long and delicious – a serious BJN – bravo!
2020 Rampon Christophe et Daniel
Deep colour again. Tighter but there’s aromatic concentration here – a suggestion of macerating fruit. Mouth-filling, very modestly tannic with a very good finish. Very good!
2020 Perol Anthony, AbracadaBoum
Medium-plus, almost deeply coloured. Dark, macerating fruit on the nose. Mouth-filling, good energy, layers of acid-forward flavour with enough richness of flavour to balance. A very good finish for a very good wine.
2020 Collonge Fabien, Vieilles-Vignes
Deep colour. Depth of fruit aroma with a slightly metallic accent. Banana in the cherry-fruit mix, freshness and energy too. A very good finish. Little to dislike here – very good.
Deep, nearly saturated colour. A little air required to loosen the aromas from the glass – but they become fine. Mouth-filling, energetic, lots of flavour complexity. Bravo BJN that you could easily keep.
Deep colour. A vertical nose of height and mineral depth, not so much width. Ooh – that’s rather good in the mouth – silken, layered, beautifully fresh and well put together. Bravo again – a wine of proper sophistication!
2020 Romany Aurélie et Fabien
Medium-plus colour. The first aromatics are of a little more stewed fruit. Mouth-filling with nice energy. The depth of flavour is very good. The nose needs to improve for ‘excellent’ but there’s potential with more aeration…
Deep, almost saturated colour. Almost a saturated aroma too – full and impressive – if not really elegant. Plenty of gas and a faint reduction – so carafe. Very complex – tons of delicious and diverse finishing flavours – great but carafe!
2020 Oedoria, La Sulfitude
Deeply coloured. A broad, powerful and completely attractive cliché Beaujolais nose. A little acid-forward, slightly sour-tasting wine. Difficult to follow the last wines with this, slightly astringent and savoury, flavour and acid profile…
2020 Château de Pizay
Deep colour, hmm – that’s a deep but rather attractive nose. Full and lots of energetic flavour complexity. This I think alternately excellent or bravo – it’s definitely worth your time!
2020 Large David, Massai
Medium-plus, deep coloured. A weight of aroma, ripe, but dark fruit suggesting a little floral complexity too. Mouth-filling, modestly astringent, wide – and really with quality fruit over the palate. Not the longest finish is apparent – but excellent all the same.
2020 Collin Bourisset, La Cuvée à la Con
Deeply coloured. A modestly graphite/mineral nose and of freshness – guarding its fruit. Supple, great over the palate insinuating its fruity intensity into your tongue. Long and involving in the finish. A more showy nose and I’d say bravo – but excellent all the same.
2020 Ferraud P et Fils
Deeply coloured again. Depth of aroma but not so wide. The fruit is intense and widening freshly over the palate – that’s very good and quite classic Beaujolais. It’s delicious. Excellent!
Deep, almost saturated colour. Round aroma, higher-toned than expect for the colour – almost elegant. Easy over the palate, really concentrated, plenty of tannin – serious wine here. Bravo – but it’s not for drinking on the 19th November – it will be even better in 2021!
2020 Domaine de Baluce Sonnery JY et A
Medium-plus colour. A punchy nose, big and fresh, faintly with a pyrazine/floral note – very attractive. Mouth-filling, freshness, ease of accessibility. Easy and completely delicious. Excellent.
2020 Maison Jambon – Domaine des Maisons Neuves
Deeply coloured – almost saturated. Here is a nose that’s more ethereal than the colour would suggest – but all good. Mouth-filling and energetic, just an accent of astringency. More tannin visible in the finish – but more textural than drying. Long finishing. Give it 6 months – excellent wine.
2020 Domaine Chasselay Jean Gilles
Medium-plus colour. An intense nose, a heavy floral perfume in here. Big, energetic, a slightly stewed profile to the fruit. I like the finish best – here it’s wide and excellent – the first part so-so…
2020 Domaine Forétal – Perraud Jean Yves
Medium-plus colour. Not the biggest nose but a completely inviting, cliché Beaujolais fruit. Cool-fruited, more direct than most – nicely textured with a slowly growing level of tannin – but hardly any astringency. More mineral finishing – very mouthwatering. Simply excellent.
2020 Guignier Michel
Almost deeply coloured. Wide, rather more herbed than most – not an invitation. Gas too. The best part is the finish – it’s not bad here.
2020 Château de Cercy – 100 Year Old Vines
Medium-plus colour. That’s a wide and elegant nose – not full power. Full, much more impact than the nose suggests. High-toned fruit and really fine texture. A great finish. Excellent wine.
2020 Domaine de la Couvette
Almost deeply coloured. Another nose of elegance and subtlety – very nice. Ultra-fine tannin without atsringence, wide, layered and sitting beautifully on the palate. The finish is very good and slightly saline. Understated in many respects but excellent in total
2020 Dumas Pierre André
Deeply coloured. A width of higher-toned fruit here – very nice. Fresh, good attack, certainly mouth-watering from the acidity. A certain very attractive delicacy to the dark finishing fruit – I like, another excellent wine.
2020 Guignier Michel, Bio
Medium-plus colour. An open, fresh, but structural impression. In the mouth not so bad though – it’s certainly intense but with a driving cherry-style fruit that’s attractive. Long, slightly textural – very good wine.
2020 Domaine des Marrans Famille Mélinand
Deeply coloured again. Saline, spiced nose – a little herbed – tighter below. A little sizzle of gas – a little more direct in style, a certain gaphtic minerality below. Needs to relax and open, but no faults here.
Saturated. Hmm – a little floral accent to the depth of fruit. Open, great energy, nothing that’s too much despite so much! A faint tannin in the finish then a last note of flowers – the colour suggested that this might be a bit exaggerated but it’s a great wine!
2020 Territoire des Pierres Dorées
Quite deeply coloured. Wide, a little floral and nicely pure nose. A nice punch of fresh flavour here. Mouth-watering, cliché Beaujolais flavour. Deliciously and slightly floral infused in the finish – excellent wine!
2020 Domaine Rivière
Almost saturated colour. A darker nose, suggesting fruit that’s a little stewed. Wide over the palate acid-red fruit. A great finish. Vewry good wine.
2020 Charvet Anthony, Beaujo Beau
Medium-plus colour. Pretty red fruit. Wide, nice clarity to this flavour which is much more in the red berry spectrum than most. Long, slightly mineral finishing. Very good wine.
2020 SACC Corcelles, Chantemerle
Medium-plus colour. A wide, saline, slightly herbed nose. Insistent, some gas. That’s acid-forward – harder to enjoy than most. But a nice finish…
2020 Château de Lachassagne
Quite deeper colour. Wide, a little reductive – some sweetness a diam-reduction style to this nose. Nicely mouth-filling. Plenty of energy from the darker berry-fruit. The finish is insistent and excellent – the best part – but very good wine.
2020 Domaine de la Tassée d’Argent – Mathon Damien
Medium-plus colour. A tighter nose than most but still of decent width. Supple, energetic, more clarity of flavour with a slightly salted accent.Deliciously insistent in the finish – love that finish. Excellent wine.
2020 Domaine Sapin
Medium-plus colour. A darker-fruited nose but of delicacy and interest. Classic Beaujolais style of fruit – lovely energy and insistence to the flavour. Excellent wine again with a lot of minerality to finish.
2020, Mommessin, Vendange du 7 septembre
Deeply coloured. Just a suggestion of bubble-gum in this deep fruited aroma. Gas, but not too much. The flavour shows extra insistence and tannin astringency because of this, but wide – open-flavoured, good purity to the flavour too. Lovely and mouth-watering in the slightly floral finish – asking you to take another sip. Excellent.
2020 Troncy Maxime, Sourire de Nouveau
Practically saturated colour. Deeply fruited and heavily perfumed nose. Too much gas, really a lot. Wide, pure and detailed in the finish. Carafe – it’s at least very good without the gas.
2020 Berne Frédéric
Medium-plus colour. A wide, red-berried nose. Plenty of mouth-filling energy and fruit that reflects the nose – red-berried. An accent of finishing tannin. Medium-weight for 2020 but excellently and deliciously put together.
2020 Blanchet Guillaume
Only medium, medium-plus colour. Vibrant red berries and a suggestion of pyrazine. Insistent acidity, driving you forward through the middle into the finish – probably a good thing. But the finish is tasty!
2020 Thévenet et Fils – Domaine du Petit Pérou
Again medium, medium-plus colour. Tighter higher aromatics but quite nice, if a little structural, below. Like the last acid-forward, here more overtly structural. A little red-fruited salinity to finish. A meagre wine compared to most…
2020 Domaine des Prévelières – Morel Quentin et Gaétan
Medium-plus, almost deep coloured. Wide, plenty of weight, just a suggestion of pyrazine in an attractive sweetness of fruit. A little structure but a lot of flavour too. Sweetly mouthwatering in waves of flavour in the finish. Really excellent
2020 Domaine de la Grosse Pierre, Get up in the wine pool
Medium, medium-plus colour. Similarly bright, fresh and slightly pyrazined on the nose. Mouth-filling, slightly more herbed in style but well-balanced by the sweetness of fruit. Floral and intense finishing – a great finish, overall and more than very good wine.
2020 Domaine de la Revol Père Debourg, Vieilles-Vignes
Much deeper coloured. Wide, yet compact nose from top to bottom – suggesting a weight of fruit if not fully delivering. Nice attack, width of flavour too, slightly astringent but with tons of energy and flavour. A very good alround package with a lovely flavour visible in the slightly astringent finish.
2020 Deschamps Philippe
Medium-plus colour. A deep, faintly reductive nose – swirling releasing some violet flowers. Good mouth-filling shape, growing in intensity too. Long finishing. A young wine, for keeping a while, but very good.
2020 Duperray Jean Baptiste, Vieilles-Vignes
Almost saturated colour. A deep and attractively sweet/floral nose – despite not being fully open that’s a great invitation. Classically Beaujolais style of fresh and driving fruit – there’s depth to this flavour too. Long, subtly flavoured, but long finishing. That will be excellent wine.
2020 Domaine des Ronze
Deeply coloured. Stewed, unpleasant nose. Not much better in the mouth – this can’t be recommended.
Medium-plus colour. Hmm – bright, forward, lots of floral complexity – that’s a lovely invitation. Classically fresh, fully Beaujolais in flavour. Great proportions. Perfect, cliché (correct) BJN – bravo!
2020 Brosset Pierre André et Fils, Empreinte
Medium-plus colour. A nose that’s more about depth, slightly compact/guarded. A little floral complexity to a structural palate. Finishing with an engaging, hardly astringent tannin. Delicate and tasty. Very good, perhaps excellent wine.
2020 Domaine Viet Philippe, BOJO le Clown
Medium-plus colour. A little structure and a lot of florals – a very engaging nose. Fresh, indeed frank to start, plenty of energy – almost a little meagre in the middle. The finish is good but not great. It started very well but went downhill from there…
2020 Domaine Chatelus Pascal
Deep colour. Compact but also hinting at dark complexity – very faintly spiced. Plenty of intensity and depth to this darker-fruited flavour. A little burst of extra flavour in the finish but then quickly fading. Good but not great.
2020 Domaine de la Grande Ferrière, Mystère
Deeply coloured. The nose a little intense and over the top. Width of intense flavour here – a little floral and with decent finishing clarity. Very good wine.
2020 Rollet Vigneron, Feuillata
Medium-plus, almost deeply coloured. Relatively compact darker fruited nose. Clearly some reduction here, supple, good texture. The finish is not bad, very good wine.
2020 Viland Antoine
Deep colour. Florals and a little pyrazine in this forward nose. Mouth-filling, typical Beaujolais energy and fruit. Some finishing structure and tannin – you can keep this for longer than many – and it’s excellent.
2020 Domaine de Champ Fleury
Medium-plus colour. A wide, slightly savoury, saline, nose. Mouth-filling once more. Framed with modest tannin, underpinned with an even more modest reduction. Lots of flavour complexity here – it will be an even more delicious drink in 6 months but it’s also very good today.
2020 Chermette Pierre Marie, Origine
Deeply coloured. A wide and concentrated fresh berry fruit – great aromatic clarity here. Full, complex, nicely bubbling along with energy. Structural – you could keep it – but never excessively so. This has a good finish too. Excellent wine.
Quite deep colour. Not a big nose but a very attractive freshness of floral perfume and darker fruit, nonetheless. Perfumed and a little structural in the mouth – this has character – I would be happy to cellar this over the short-term. Fresh and floral finishing but still with proper fruit in the finish. Bravo!
2020 Sornin Victor, Je suis nature
Practically saturated. A big nose, not showing particularly attractively but perhaps a little aeration will change things. Mouth-filling. The texture is not bad if slightly astringent but it has a floral perfume too. You can keep this and I’m sure it will be at least very good.
2020 Château des Pertonnières – Dupeuple et Fils
Medium-plus, deep coloured. Deep, almost a pepper, curry note. Big, nicely textured, cool fruit and a growing intensity/energy to the flavour. This is lovely and will certainly improve further over the coming months…
2020 Pégaz Jean François, Plaisirs de Pégaz
Deeply coloured. Fresh, wide, dark-fruited – a super invitation. Big in the mouth, energetic, the fruit perhaps faintly overdone at the base but super too in the round. A big, interesting wine that you can keep – despite that suggestion of over-ripe. Excellent.
Medium, plus colour. Very red-berried fruit – much more elegant and floral than many. Open, great clarity – big but never overtly concentrated wine – big but still airy. Violets in the finish. Another style but all are welcome – bravo!
2020 Domaine du Morillon – Jomard Pierre et Jean Michel
Medium-plus, deeper colour. More weight of concentrated fruit aroma – but still with a good freshness. Big in the mouth – framed with fine acidity. Long and excellent.
2020 Vignerons des Pierres Dorées, La Rose Pourpre
Almost saturated colour. A nose of brighter top notes but plenty of bass-notes too. Big in the mouth with lots of energy. Long with plenty of graphite-style minerality and faintly sweet dark fruit. That’s a very good wine.
2020 Sornin Frédéric, Je suis nature
Deeply coloured again. A little higher-toned width here – dark-fruited below – a good invitation. More direct and intense – an attack on the palate. Wide, some bitters, even a little licorice. For keeping rather than drinking in 2 weeks – lots of very good material here.
2020 Domaine les Gryphées – Durdilly Guillaume et Pierre
Medium-plus colour. A wide, higher-toned nose again, but this time with a pyrazine accent – almost, but not quite, floral. Intermediate to the last two – certainly driving flavour with an element of robust attack but less-so than the last. Long, intense, great finishing flavour – though again a wine to be patient with – it’s another excellent wine.
2020 Domaine de Sermezy – Chevier Patrice
Medium-plus colour. A rounder but much more compact nose than the previous few wines – red-fruited. Bright, wide, a suggestion of tannin, growing more insistent from the acidity. A very good finish for a very good wine – yum!
2020 Vincent Cédric, L’Audace des Pierres Dorées
Medium-plus colour. That’s got a super depth of bright red berry-fruit. Very insistent acidity – driving with energy – a wine to blow away any cobwebs, but balanced? – not really today. Perhaps with 6 months of patience – I like the long line of finishing flavour as much as the nose, though.
2020 Coquard Olivier
Deeply coloured. Wide, dark-fruited, accented with florals. Big in the mouth too, with lots of forward and fresh flavour energy. Certainly a little astringence would have me being patient with this bottle but I think it excellent for the medium-term.
2020 Maison Lafond Thierry
Deeply coloured again. A modest width of smooth and fresh classic BJ aromas. Good volume & lots of freshness and a certain bubble-gum style of flavour. It’s long and cliché Beaujolais in finishing style too – very good.
2020 Maison Lafond Thierry, Tirage sur lie
A deeply-coloured series of wines here. Airy slightly floral-inflected dark fruit. A touch of gas. Wide across the palate the flavour framed with a little astringent accent. Strongly, seriously finishing. That’s lovely and long – patience again – a super finish here.
2020 Domaine des Terres Dorées Brun Jean-Paul, L’Ancien
Deeply coloured. A deep, dark-berried fruit nose. Some gas. Wide and slightly astringent again – here’s a small series of obviously ‘too young’ wine – but of excellent quality for those with patience…
2020 Domaine des Terres Dorées Brun Jean-Paul
Once more, deeply coloured. A guarded nose – some width of darker, sweeter fruit but otherwise a little compact. Gas. Big in the mouth and with plenty of energy too. Tons of flavour complexity here – and beautifully complex, partly floral flavour too. Not the biggest of finishes but a nice one. Excellent, almost bravo!
Deep colour. A very fine combination of aromatic freshness, purity of fruit and a suggestion of graphite minerality. Big in the mouth, but nothing overdone – framed with a modest tannin but wide and deliciously mouth-watering with fine pure fruit in the finish. That’s very, almost painfully, young, but a great wine.
2020 Beaujolais-Villages-Nouveau:
I began this selection by liking, and hence recommending, far too many wines. As always the ‘villages’ designation is a significant structural step up versus the average Beaujolais – occasional wines were less structured and more the level of a Beaujolais – delicious as they were. Eventually, and making more sense for an audience that may drink only one or two bottles in the nouveau week, I decided it was simply easier to point out which wines to avoid!
2020 Heitz Armand
Again, almost deep coloured. Ooh – a little sulfur and an über-concentration of fruit – not easy today. Fine in the mouth – except reduced. Concentrated, texturally excellent – but badly in need of a carafe. Could be great but you will have to either work or have some patience…
2020 Domaine Nesme Mickael
Deep colour. A cool, deep nose too, faintly floral, not so wide. The palate is wide, more evident texture from the tannin, a strong floral mouth-perfume for this one. Seriously constructed wine with tons of finishing concentration – almost tarry here. Very impressive – great nouveau…
2020 Domaine des Nugues Gelin Gilles, Sans Soufre
Deep colour though not saturated. Like the last, a wine whose araomas are a little constricted in width but certainly not in depth. Mouth-filling, more intense from an acidity perspective but never harsh. Really intensely mouth-watering finishing flavour. Wait 6-12 months but super wine.
2020 Famille Chevier
Medium-plus, deeper colour. Again not so wide but here with an inky deep impression to the aroma. Extra silky, mouth-filling – that’s such a sophisticated wine – bravo. Not great ‘nouveau’, simply great Beaujolais
2020 Colonge André et Fils, N°1 Gasby Gamay
Deep, practically saturated colour. The nose a little more compact overall but wider showing than the last wines – high tones including floral references. A touch more grain to the tannin here, but here’s another wine of structural sophistication and finely intense flavour. Really great.
2020 Fessy Henry, Tradition
Almost saturated colour. Modest but attractive weight of fresh fruit in this aroma. Once more a touch of tannic grain, but then it fades, really a fine attack of insistently fresh but wide and clean flavour too – bravo – but like most, helpful if you have a little patience!
2020 Cave de Juliénas Chaintré, Coeur Pourpre
Deeply coloured. Another modest weight of aroma – but smooth and fine. A touch more astringency but practically no grain to this tannin. Lovely line, depth to this darker flavour too. Another great wine…
It was at this stage that it seemed clear to me that I should be outlining which wines not to buy in this category, rather than those to buy!
2020 Domaine de Croifolie – Crozet Gérard
Not quite deeply coloured – but close! A more open nose, one that’s atrractive and broad – a good invitation. Lots of mouth-filling flavour here – and of good energy and complexity too. Not overtly better than some non-villages – but only the best of those – fine finishing clarity too – excellent.
2020 Jean Charles Pivot, Agamy
Deep colour. A nose that’s more about depth and width – practically a little sombre to start – aeration brings finer more interesting points of reference to the surface. Wide, complex, layered and mouth-watering – all that you could wish for. Long, long finishing. Excellent, and be patient.
2020 Lafont Jean Marc, Cuvée Première
Deeply coloured. Another nose that needs some coaxing from the glass – but very smooth and clean. Mouth-filling, smooth, very pure and clean fruit intensity. Love the finish, slowly fading with delicious anecdotes of fruit through a modest dryness of structure – wait 6+ months…
2020 Domaine de Haute Molière – Patissier Jean François, L’Etourdi
Deeply coloured. An extra depth to this darker fruit aroma. Vibrant, perhaps a faint gas here. Long, a long diminuendo of pretty flavour. Another excellent wine.
2020 Jambon Dominique
Deep clour. A tighter nose, more salinity showing. Wide, cool fruited and mouth-filling. A finishing width that’s accented with the tannin, but nothing harsh or grainy. Long, subtly-flavoured, finish. Simply a lovely wine, once-more.
2020 Domaine Béroujon
Deep colour again. This nose a little more open and showing floral complexity at the top. Big in the mouth; structural but no hard or harsh parts, simply the message – ‘have patience.’ Long, persistent finishing. Wait the (seemingly) traditional 6-12 months for this wine, in this vintage…
2020 Domaine de la Milleranche – Corsin J Roussot S
Almost deeply coloured. A forward nose that’s a blend of the floral and pyrazine. Impact to this concentrated wine, but carried with a fresh intensity. One of the most ‘backward’ yet – wait 12 months minimum. Super wine.
2020 Domaine Boulet Nadège et David
Deeply coloured. A deep, darkly-fruited, quite compact nose. Wide and intense over the palate. Insinuating its flavour into the palate. Long, saline, complex, structural flavour, faintly floral too. Excellent complexity among the structure. Another wine not to avoid – rather to wait for.
2020 Domaine Lagneau
Nearly deeply coloured. Just a little more Beaujolais-esque aromatics but with a deep and dark depth. Another wine with a beautifully silky structure until a little velvet tannin asserts itself. Long, great BJVN.
2020 Domaine des Fournelles – Dumontet Guillaume
Deep colour. Ooh – that’s a lovely nose – bright, but super-attractively higher-toned. Bigger, great energy, tons of complexity – really a super wine – bravo – wait 6 months!
2020 Domaine Martin Gael, Les Pains
Deeply coloured. A deep nose too, perhaps a little reduction holding on in the depth. Wide and fresh – less ‘easy’ flavoured vs the last but still complex and structural – just a little more intensity of emphasis vs the last. A super length of finish again.
2020 Domaine de Thulon – Famille Jambon
Medium-plus colour. A nose of higher, redder-fruited tones. Mouth-filling volume, yes a little redder fruit in the mouth too. The acidity slowly rising, showcasing the structure more and more. Fresh, slightly floral finishing with a little structure too – 6 months…
2020 Domaine du Clos du Fief – Tête Père et Fils
Medium-plus, plus colour. A nice volume of aroma – very Beaujolais. Big in the mouth, framed with a slight astringency and less slight acidity – insistent. Not for drinking today. Wait 12 months – perhaps it will be good.
2020 Domaine de la Bonne Tonne
Medium-plus colour. A deep nose, but also one with a suggestion of volatility. Gas – lots of gas. High-toned, but with a good finish. Try a carafe, but it’s not for drinking in its current form…
2020 Vignobles Jambon
Deeply coloured. Deep, vibrant and darkly fruited – also the impression of oak. Certainly mouth-filling, layered, well-judged structure – certainly ambitious, but I’m no fan of this flavour profile – rather oaky…
2020 Château Gaillard – Gutty Sébastien
Deeply coloured. Wide and perfumed – a lovely nose. Fresh attack, wide, growing wider, slightly structural but lots of wine here. Long and super finishing – be patient.
2020 Domaine Gaget, Vinum Memoria
Deep colour. There’s a different style of complexity here perhaps also a little barrel but much better integrated. Wide, very smooth, certainly a sophisticated texture here. The flavour non-standard clearly some barrel work, but layered and tasty. A big finish too. Still, I’d prefer without, but this I find more interesting than the previous wine…
2020 Domaine Côteaux des Oliviers – Dufour Patrick
Deeper colour. A wide and fresh nose of red-red fruit. Mouth-filling, fresh a suggestion but not much more of astringency. The finish is of floral freshness and very attractive – give it 6 months.
2020 Domaine Fagolet – Girard Paul et Valérie, Pur Jus de Granit Vieilles-Vignes
Deep, almost saturated colour. That’s a nice nose of dark fruits and violets. Big, mouth-filling wine with a little astringence and plenty of intensity. That’s a more delicate and delicious finish – you will have to be patient with the first half of this wine though – but it should be worth it…
2020 Cave de Clochemerle
Medium-plus, almost deeply coloured wine. Very red, very forward aromas – almost too much! But this starts impressively in the mouth before I start to have the same impression I had with the nose – almost too much. Almost a volatile style to this wine.
2020 De Vermont Yannick
Deep colour. An inky-dark nose, deep but not so wide. Oof! This is also a bit too much, almost a volatile, alcoholic middle-flavours impression to this dark fruit – a little spiky finishing too – just a bit too much.
2020 Aucagne Julien
Deep colour. Starting tight but quickly growing in attractive aromatic volume. Large-scaled and rather sweet in the mouth. This flavour clings a little – the sweetness is a little too much the finale slowly fading in a mineral way.
2020 Jambon Marc
Medium-plus colour. Floral and forward higher tones. Wide, intense, red-fruited. Long, slightly floral finishing too – lovely.
2020 Domaine Bertrand
Medium-plus, plus colour! A narrower nose but one that suggests silk… Plenty of gas. Growing in volume and certainly with lots of energy. The finish is wide and excellent with a suggestion of the tannic structure remaining. A very accessible wine compared to many from this segment…
2020 Lacondemine Jérôme, Coeur de Raisin
Deep, approaching saturated colour. Lots of aromatic depth to this nose – darker fruited – it’s a good one. Super texture, surrounding a wine of impressive size. Long finishing. So young, but a great BJVN!
2020 Domaine des Arbins – Lathuilière Annie et Franck
Medium-plus colour. Redder, more vibrant, almost volatile aromatics – very smooth the volatile could be an oak element. In the mouth this has width of flavour and a very different style of flavour deliver – it must be barrels. It’s rather well done, but stylistically something I wouldn’t be looking for… Excellent all the same and certainly different…
2020 Domaine de Botheland – Dufaitre Laurence et Rémy
Medium. Medium-plus colour. A vibrantly red and fruity nose – smells like a cordial. Gas. Red-fruited with a good width of flavour – mouth-watering and long. The structure not so forward or obvious here. Very good, though certainly not great.
2020 Maison Passot Rémy et Fils
Nearly a deep colour. Bright and forward, ripe acid-red-cherry notes. Big, so mouth-watering – an extra intensity without – okay it’s close – becoming too much. The attack of red berry fruit continues in the finish – a decently long finish whose last notes are more mineral. Very good.
2020 Domaine Monternot Les Jumeaux
Medium-plus colour. Not the most open nose, but what is visible is pure and not a bit overdone – a nice invitation. Fresh, mouth-filling, great flavour, structural but not aggressive. Great flavour, great wine – it’s about the balance! Bravo!
2020 Domaine Chassagne
Medium-plus colour, again. A vibrantly deep, darker red fruit – the nose is much tighter above. Mouth-filling, wide, more astringent, the acidity insistent but not too much. A little salinity in the final wave of finishing flavour. For keeping – of course – but excellent wine.
2020 Dubost Jean Paul, Beaujolais Lantignié
Medium-plus colour. The nose here has a rounder shape and a good purity of darker fruit. Supple, concentrated wine – this could be a cru! There’s plenty of modest structure here but never overdone. Slowly, subtly but long finishing. Bravo again!
2020 Perrachon Laurent, Terre de Loyse
Medium-plus, plus colour. This is not the widest, but there’s an aromatic freshness of darker fruit. Good fresh attack from the flavour. The last impression a short-lasting dryness on the gums. Excellent wine.
2020 Château de Lavernette, Le Jeune
Medium-plus colour. An airy nose, one that suggests depth of aroma too – but not much width. Round, very fine texture – lovely insinuating fresh flavour. That’s a lovely wine – a certain extra elegance versus many.
2020 Cave du Château des Loges, Les Trois Madones
Deep colour. A depth of darker fruit – good purity but otherwise quite compact. I love the waves of fresh fruit flavour here – all that Beaujolais Nouveau should be. Fine finishing persistence too. Great!
2020 Boudeau Nicolas
Practically deep coloured. Deep, extra-ripe, non-standard, fruit on this nose – almost a little fig – and floral. Hmm, that’s a lovely floral and interesting – not a bit heavy – hors standard but delicious, bravo!
2020 Domaine des Fonds
Deep colour. A deep nose too, not so wide – compact. Mouth-filling, less sweet, a certain astringence too. Long, but suffers in comparison to the last.
2020 Domaine Joncy
Almost deeply coloured. A little more forward and higher-toned nose. Mouth-filling, plenty of tannin with just a little bitterness – in the middle I like the fruit flavour but the tannin in the finish says wait – despite the fine and mouth-watering last flavours. Excellent.
2020 Petit Romuald
Deep colour. Concentrated darker fruit on this nose. Full-flavoured, lots of darker cherry fruit here – also lots of structure, but not grainy. Long-lasting and delicious.
2020 Domaine Matray, Plaisir
Almost deeply coloured. That’s quite an elegant nose of fine complexities. Full, mouth-watering and growing in intensity. I like the style here – not too structured – tasty wine.
2020 Domaine Laforest
Deep colour. Dark, modestly spiced fruit. Big in the mouth, faintly reductive, dark fruit, long, though quickly narrowing into the finish. A tasty wine, easier to appreciate than many today…
2020 Domaine du Barvy – Bouillard Dominique
Almost deeply coloured. A wide but not deep nose of fresh dark fruit. Big in the mouth, intense too – insinuating flavour into your gums. Really a wine to keep but with fine freshness of finishing flavour. Long and excellent.
2020 Domaine de Gry Sablon – Morel Dominique
Deeply coloured. A strong and forward nose, almost a little volatile and pyrazined. Bright, fresh – a wall of flavour here, but with banana – the first in this series. Long, very good.
2020 Domaine des Lyres
Medium. Medium-plus colour. Quite an easy red-fruited nose – almost a little strawberry included here. Easy over the palate too though slowly becoming more insinuating. Good balance and tasty wine – but surely no better than many BJN…
2020 Domaine de Rochemure – Vermorel Philippe, Sans Soufre
Deep colour. An overly intense nose that seems a little volatile. Quite bubble-gum and forward fruit. Here a little ‘too much’ too. Not a wine to search out.
2020 Château de Pougelon
Deep colour. A wider nose of more accessible higher tones. Some reduction in the depth of this flavour, but a good depth of flavour overall – not too structural. A very good and accessible wine.
2020 Buisson Gérard
Deep, almost saturated colour. Nice width of aroma – dark fruit but nicely presented. Intense, fresh, driving flavour – super fruit. A big intense finish too – that’s really for keeping but it’s also excellent.
2020 Dumas Pierre André
Almost saturated again. That’s a wide and complex nose – some very well managed wood complexity here I think. Wide, fresh, a little more than a grain of tannin but vibrant fruit of clarity too – no overt sign of wood on the palate – a great (baby) wine!
2020 Domaine Jomain Bernard
Medium, medium-plus colour. A complex and open nose, some suggestions of reduction included. Wide, intense, faintly astringent, a little more bitters in the flavour. Long, quite structural too with slightly reductive finishing flavour. There are many positives here – I’d give it 6-12 months to sort itself out…
2020 Rottiers Richard
Medium-plus colour. Not a big nose but an easy nose of attractive fruit. Similar in the mouth too – open, easy, quite delicious not particularly a step up from BJN but delicious wine.
2020 Domaine de la Garenne – Goguet Marc
Medium-plus, plus colour. A deep nose – there’s some reduction here. Also in the flavours – you need to work with a carafe here – the shape and depth are very good – villages level for sure – the rest – in terms of how much work you’re prepared to put in – is currently up to you.
2020 Domaine des Combiers Savoye Laurent
Deep colour. A more airy and accessible nose. Intense, a little extra bitters here too – a wine to wait for – medium-term wine. You have everything here except current drinkablity…
2020 Domaine de Fontalognier – Ducroux Gilles et Nel
Close to deeply coloured. A compact, darker, but silky fruit aromatic. Big in the mouth, real depth of flavour here, the tannin is certainly present but it’s neither aggressive not particularly astringent – but there’s plenty. Long finishing, darker fruit here again. Another medium-term wine.
2020 Henry Fessy
Deep colour – nearly saturated. A faint reduction which tightens the width of the dark-red fruit. Big in the mouth – some incisive attack from the flavour. A decent and accommodating sweetness of fruit here. Fine finishing. Another wine to wait for – though maybe only 6 months in this case.
2020 Pardon et Fils
Deep colour. Open fresh top notes, the aromas much tighter below. Dark-fruited energy shows the way here. Wide and a little differently shaped to many in the width of finishing flavour – like with oak – though I taste none. Very tasty and with relatively early accessibility I think.
2020 Château de Durette, MMXX
Deeply coloured. Not a large volume of aroma but it’s a nicely composed and attractive one. Some flavour attack, coupled with a small grain of faintly astringent tannin. The finish has a lovely line of dark fruit freshness. A very fine medium-term wine.
2020 Domaine Burnichon
Deeply coloured again. A little more width of aroma – partly floral here. Mouth-filling – really a wine of large scale, modestly framed with an astringence of tannin. Long again – almost a dark plum flavour that holds well. Another wine where you should bide your time.
2020 Dumas Pierre André, Vinifié par Aurélie Durnérin
Almost saturated colour. Too much on the nose – volatile elements – but from oak I think. Once more with mouth-filling scale, lots of flavour complexity – but a non-standard flavour that suggests plenty of oak elevage. Your mileage may vary, but this is not my style though it’s very well made – still, a medium-term wine.
2020 Domaine de Colette – Gauthier Jacky
Medium-plus colour. Fresher, more energetic, faintly saline nose. Wide, off-ripe, there’s a sweetness of fruit that more than compensated by the acidity. Saline finishing. Versus many, this appears to have been cropped quite early – long finishing with some bitters. It will still make a good wine in 12-18 months…
2020 Renard Christophe
Deeply coloured. A width of silkily dark fruit aroma. Wide – and slowly growing to fill every space in your mouth – the tannin growing and becoming more astringent too. Big wine to wait for – at least 18 months… But very good all the same
2020 Béréziat Marc – Domaine de Saint Ennemond
Another wine that approaching saturation point for colour. A nose that starts compact but seems to have a lot of latent material – slowly releasing higher, darker fruited tones. Great mouth-filling shape. Modestly framed with an astringance of tannin.
2020 Dupré Goujon, Gamay Lover
Ooh – closer to rosé! An open and very easy nose. The same over the palate, easy, delicious, saline-accented flavour.
2020 Domaine Longere
Medium-plus colour. Here the nose has up and down shape and a certain saline edge. Mouth-filling, nicely energetic and the texture is super. Finishing intensity of flavour too. Excellent and you don’t have to wait too long to fully enjoy.
2020 Château du Chatelard, L’Adorable
Deeply coloured. A nose with a bit more width – higher, slightly volatile notes. Wide, full – lots of volume and very good texture. Very full flavoured ‘big’ wine. Long finishing too. I’d give it at least the 6 months in the cellar that it deserves.
2020 Domaine des Jeunes Pousses, Préambule Beaujolais Emeringes
Medium-plus colour. A deep and quite perfumed nose – possibly some oak augmentation here but seems to have been done in an interesting way. A bit fizzy, unfortunately, but really mouth-filling in shape. A good finish that’s redolent of lower sulfur – perhaps the real cause of the interesting nose…
2020 Domaine du Penlois – Besson Père et Fils, Tu m’fais tourner la tête
Medium, medium-plus colour. Fresh, modestly red-fruited. Nice shape and with a decent energy – not particularly ‘villages’ level but very tasty wine.
2020 Domaine du Penlois – Besson Père et Fils, Cuvée André Besson
Also medium, medium-plus colour. A depth of aroma here, faintly cheesy, accented with salt. Wide, good attack but some astringence in this attack too. The finish is quite nice – wide and interesting – but the structure suggests a little patience will be to your benefit.
2020 Domaine de la Madone – Bérerd Père et Fils
Deep colour. That’s a very deep nose and slightly reductive. Mouth-filling, actually with a nice combination of sleek flavour and texture. The fruit is rather dark and penetrating – but give this the 6-12 months it deserves because much here is excellent.
2020 Manoir du Carra Famille Sambardier, Dame Nature
Medium-plus colour. An open nose but not a large nose. A little banana in the fruit again, but otherwise this is quite a nicely finishing, mouth-watering wine. Very good.
2020 Desprès Père et Fils
Approaching a deep colour. That’s an attractively airy, slightly saline nose. Wide, intense – a saline-edge to this tannin, modestly astringent but also practically without grain. I like the energy here. Long finishing – you need patience for sure, but this is an excellent wine.
2020 Domaine de Rochefolle – Ledain Thierry, Evasion
Medium-plus colour. A deep and reductive nose – slowly opening with air. The palate is still majoring on reduction – the shape and structure is fine and correct. You can either work hard with a carafe or hope it’s better and/or still work with a carafe in 18 months… But the finish is already pure and delicious!
2020 Domaine de Rochefolle – Ledain Thierry
Quite deep colour. A rounder nose – a mix of higher and more bass notes. A bigger wine – more aligned to its structure – the finish is easier than the middle. Another for keeping though perhaps with less potential than the previous wine.
There is one response to “2020 Beaujolais Nouveau”
again – a lot to go through – and who stocks them?
That sounds like a complaint David(?) As always, wine-searcher.com is your friend if you are looking for stockists…