2022 Beaujolais Nouveau – as good as it gets!

8.11.2022billn
The 2022 vintage:

2022 Beaujolais NouveauThe 2021-2022 winter was long and, compared to most of the recent years, relatively cold. Frosts were commonplace until the beginning of April so probably because of that, budburst – in the second half of April – was relatively late. At this time, the domaines were already noting a lack of rain in the vineyards.

May was a warm and dry one: 50% less rainfall than normal plus more sunshine than usual – it was the warmest May on record since 1959.

The vines grew quickly and flowering took place in ideal, if early, conditions. Despite the dryness of May, there was sufficient rain in June to avoid issues with the vines even if the quantity of rainfall remained much below the average. It was in July that (not just!) the Beaujolais saw successive waves of hot weather – again lacking rain – it was the driest July for 33 years with 8mm of rain instead of an average of 68mm! This meant that the sanitary conditions of the vines couldn’t have been better.

The harvest was very early – from the middle of August! The hot weather had reduced the amount of malic acid in the grapes but concentrated the amount of tartaric acid. Despite a little more rain in the area of Beaujolais Villages, the wines were concentrated and volumes were modest, so unlike in 2020, it was rarely possible for domaines to ‘take advantage’ of the volumes on offer – so there is a consistency in the concentration and ripeness in these 2022s.
Many thanks to the team at Château du Moulin à Vent for some of their vintage insight.

The best wines:

I just hope that you have some chance to find such domaine wines. Last year my local (Swiss) coop had only one, which was bottled just for them – no producer info – and that was probably just as well because it was rubbish!

Whilst there were few ‘great wines’ in the equivalent tasting of 2021s, last year, those that were, clearly stood out from the crowd. In 2022 it was more difficult because the average quality was very consistent and as high as I have seen it – in this respect it reminds me very much of the 2019 vintage. From 100 wines there was one that was corked – the second bottle was fine – and only one wine where I directly said ‘NO!’ – I wouldn’t put this one in my mouth a second time!

Any complaints?
Actually, yes! Why so many heavy, statement, bottles? – ‘Prestigious cuvées?’ This is Beaujolais Nouveau for God’s sake. WTF!?

4 Great wines:
Dominique Piron: Beaujolais AND Beaujolais Villages
Domaine de Colette, Natur’Elle de Colette, Villages
Domaine des Nugues Villages

12 Excellent Wines – Beaujolais:
Jean Yves Sonnery
Anthony Charvet, Beaujo Beau
JM Aujoux, La vie est belle
Frédéric Berne
Domaine Perthuizet, Gégé
Trenel
Château de L’Eclair
Domaine des Prévellières
Julien Bertrand
Brossette Paul André et Fils
Agamy, Domaine du Solémy

8 Excellent Wines – Beaujolais Villages:
Château de Vaux De Vermont Yannick
Vignobles Jambon, Pure
Domaine Péchard Tano
David Berougon
Jean-Paul Dubost, Beaujolais Lantignié
Domaine du Clos du Fief
Château de Pougelon
Jean Yves Sonnery, Cuvée Elégance

Click on ‘Read More…’ below to see the full notes for 100 wines in the order that they were (blind) tasted:
Beaujolais
 

2022 Beaujolais Nouveau - interesting labels...
2022 Beaujolais Nouveau – interesting labels…

Beaujolais Nouveau

Dominique Piron
Sweet, attractive, cliché, plenty of depth. Layered, full of impressive flavour – it could have a bit more energy but it’s simply excellent – long too – a great start.

Fabien & Aurélie Romany
More airy, less fruit-forward nose. More muscular wine with a little more energy. Less cliché BJ but with a nice fresh finish. Very good.

Domiane de la Simonde, Essen’Ciel
Depth of aroma, more herby complexity. Broad, properly Beaujolais palette of flavours. Fresh and easy vanishing – the most saline yet. Also very good.

Vignerons des Pierres Dorées, La rose pourpre
A heavier bottle so of course a much deeper colour!
Classic Beaujolais fruit with slight bubblegum. More structural wine – there’s tannin to resolve here – like a Beaujolais Villages. A BJN de Garde – keep this for 6-18 months but it will be excellent

Domaine Forétal
A redder nose – more fruit clarity for this one – narrower at the same time. Also a wine that’s a little structural and with some tannin to resolve – you should wait 6 months – sorry for BJN day! Also quite some finishing salinity.

Domaine de Champ Fleury
Back to a more herbed aromatic complexity. The herbs are visible throughout the spectrum of flavour – a little savoury note in the finish too. This is okay but still very drinkable.

Jean Yves Sonnery
A deeper, less effusive aromatic profile. Fills the mouth well and there’s good clarity and texture to this fruit-forward flavour. Redder fruit here that holds very well – another excellent wine.

Pierre Marie Chermette, Griottes
Deeply coloured – there are floral extras here too – very perfumed aromatics. Broad, quite structural in profile but with lovely depth and complexity to these fresh flavours. The tannin slowly becomes more evident. I think this excellent but keep it back for a few months…

Jean François Pégaz, Plaisirs de Pégaz
Some ariomatic freshness but not much to get excited about. Mouth-filling with a cool freshness too. The flavours have a nicely perfumed style though finish a little savour. Good and drinkable.

Domaine du Guélet Puillat C et D
A fuller, broader nose – nice. Direct, fresh, a lower level of sweetness but direct and seemingly with a mineral streak in these flavours. Very good!

Anthony Charvet, Beaujo Beau
Hmm, lots of complexity and freshness here – the salinity is visible too – lovely. Really mouth-filling, slightly astringent profile but here is also a fine freshness – for those that like extra acidity – but excellent all the same.

Domaine Bourbon, L’Anti D primeur
Very deep colour. A macerating style to this dark fruit. Fresh, incisive, growing with intensity. Juicy finishing – also a wine to take your time with but it will be very good.

Domaine de la Grosse Pierre
More modest colour. Easy , open, attractive aromas. In the mouth too – classic Beaujolais flavours with a little sweetness. Easy, less concentrated but delicious wine.

Manoir du Carra Sambardier
Lots of colour. Hmm – a more vertical nose but a super one! Direct, fresh, plenty of intensity. Open and tasty finishing. Very good.

Jean Marc Lafont, Ephémère
Not a forceful nose but still a very good one. Broad, cool, concentrated, mouth-watering wine. A faint astringency in the finish so keep a few months – it’s at least very good.

JM Aujoux, La vie est belle
Very deep colour. But not a forced nose – this is lovely. Structural, fresh but intense and full-flavoured. A little time will be required to tease out all the complexity but this is an excellent wine.

JM Aujoux
Less attack but still a nose of attractive width – dark fruit. Plenty of gas here which gives the impression of energy. Wide finishing – slightly structural but another very good wine.

Domaine Mikael Nesme
Less forward, airy nose of more red fruit. Mouth-filling with energy and fine red fruit. Perfectly balanced lighter wine. Yum.

David et Célia Large, Massaï
A modest intensity of aroma – still fresh. Too much gas – almost Mousseau. Finishes easy and tasty.

Domaine des Marrans Famille Mélinand
Modest intensity aromatics. Mouth-filling, faintly astringent but the flavour is mobile and tasty. Good wine.

Steeve Charvet
Very forward and quite attractive red fruit aroma. Volume and freshness – the texture is of velour. That’s a very good wine.

Frédéric Berne
A lovely, open, complex fruit and flowers nose. Broad, meltingly fresh flavour – very red fruit here – with easy, fresh waves of finishing flavour. Practically excellent.

Christophe Subrin
Too heavy bottle for BJN – it’s not alone! Plenty of colour but still aromatically fresh and attractive. Coll, fresh and broad in shape. A little graphite in the finish too – again, very good.

Domaine Perthuizet, Gégé
Narrow but deep and good clarity to this dark fruit – growing a halo of florals too – nice! Broad, mouth-filling, lots of complexity – this is a beauty – at least excellent!

Julien Mathon, Toutencanon
Dark colour and deeply spiced – a little too much? Let’s see. Mouth-filling, plenty of tannic structure too but the finish is more delicate and delicious – for keeping some months…

Château de Pizay
Not a full power nose but still a good one. Some gas here. But broad and well-flavoured. God – perhaps very good wine.

Jean Pierre Rivière
A Bordeaux-shape bottle!
Narrow aromatics but here is depth – slowly a little floral lift too. Sweeter than most but still lithe and fresh. Modestly savoury in the still sweet finish. Good wine.

Anthony Perol, Le P’tit Nouveau
Open and forward aromatics. Framed with a fine grain of tannin – but not astringent – clean finishing flavour through the structure – keep this win a few months it has a very elegant side to it. Very tasty.

Famille Chasselay, La Marduette
Another far too heavy bottle. – what about the planet?
Complex, saline, dark-fruited nose. Very good texture. Quite a sophisticated wine that could have a bit more flavour complexity. It’s very good though.

Domaine Joncy, Cuvée des copains comme cochons
Some funky depth to this nose. Clean and fresh – filling all the spaces in your mouth – even a little mineral with a small suggestion of the savoury in the finish. Another very good wine.

Trenel
Hmm – now here’s a very attractive freshness of darker fruits. Broad, cool fruit, fine texture. Mouth-watering well in the finish. Excellent wine!

Famille Chasselay
Almost a little strained this nose. Too much gas. Lots of flavours but I’d go as far to carafe this wine – is that a bit too snobby for BJN?

Château de L’Eclair
Good, cliché BJ freshness here – fine. Direct, cool, super texture, almost juicy. Really excellent wine here!

Domaine des Prévellières
A deep, broad dark fruit but still with freshness. Also mouth-filling – more energetic freshness for this wine. Also an excellent wine but fresher than the previous one.

Trenel, Bio
A redder freshness of aroma. Hmm, that has a lovely, melting, freshness and depth of flavour. Calmer than some but with fine waves of mouth-watering red fruit. Delicious wine!

Vignerons des Pierres Dorées, Terra Iconia
Deeply coloured. Narrow but attractive fresh dark fruit with a touch of salinity. Again, mouth-filling and fresh – lots of dark fruit here. The finish is a very good one – some structure but great clean flavour too. Very good!

Julien Bertrand
Narrow, fresh but fine aromatics – becoming quite floral perfumed. Broad, complex – more red fruit style and juicy too. Broad finishing flavour – excellent!

Brossette Paul André et Fils
Deeply coloured. Dark fruit but still cliché BJ in style. Broad, filling the mouth. Lovely freshness and clarity of darker fruit here – another simply excellent wine. Love this finish of intensity.

Maxime Troncy, Sourire de nouveau
Darker, simmering cooked fruit. In the mouth concentrated but fruit that’s just a step too far in terms of roast style – yet there is floral complexity to balance too. Not my favourite stye but it’s a fresh and tasty wine all the same.

Famille Girin
Black wine. Still some aromatic freshness here. Good texture a generously flavoured wine. Slowly lingering sweetness – that’s a very good wine…

Domaine des Voutes Dorées
The first wine that’s showing a reductive side. Nice shape and freshness in the mouth and the finish is good and clean. Good wine.

Domaine du Champ de la Croix, Elise
A nose that grows broader and hints at florals too. Incisive, fresh, almost cool, juicy, fruit – red fruit. The finish is attractive and long – but the structure suggests keeping for a few months before attacking…

Domaine Perruset
A little savoury depth but there’s a nice style to these top-note aromas. Airy, lighter, delicious style here – maybe the most nouveau of all these nouveau – lite but, frankly, delicious!

Agamy, Domaine du Solémy
Despite very dark colour here is an attractive clarity of dark fruit. The concentration is overt but held in place with good freshness – the fruit almost too much but just about keeping sufficient tension. Intense finishing too – there’s a lot of wine here – impressive wine.

Maison Cocquard, 69
Again deeply coloured. Some attractive aromatic notes but a little compact versus many. Broad and freshly flavoured – plenty of intensity – and finishing really well – keep a few months if you can but this finishes deliciously.

Maison Cocquard, La Coq
Another black wine. Some floral freshness on this nose. Another ‘identikit’ dark fruit freshness and lots of mouth-watering energy – again very good wine.

Mommessin, Le Père la Grolle
A clear bottle.
Deep and fresh – a fine nose. Plenty of CO2 but a wine that delivers well for the labels – a lovely fresh, almost floral finish for this one- Delicious!

Baptiste Aufranc
A more modest, compact, nose. Possibly my least-favourite flavour profile of any wine so far – perhaps some reduction is perturbing. No

Jean Loron, Vieilles Vignes
Broad, slowly sweeter. I love the open, sweet, floral-infused flavour. A little finishing structure and flavours of fine, modestly juicy clarity – this is very good.

Jean Loron, Tradition
Deeply coloured again. Good freshness but certainly not a generous nose. Broad, melting, faintly cushioned, some modest tannin in the middle but not astringent, slowly fading in the finish – very good.

Chateau des Pertonnières
Dark colour – a slightly forced nose to start. In the mouth, this has depth, width and plenty of concentration. The texture is very fine – I would say sophisticated. The finish is easy but attractive. Very good – yet again!

Beaujolais Villages Nouveau

Not the obvious jump in structure of previous years for these villages – as there is already so much in the ‘Beaujolais’ – but these are slow burners and the structure grows and grows as you work your way through the wines – in a way you don’t notice in the ‘standard’ Beaujolais:

Domaine Gaudet Maxime
Saline and dark fruit. Mouthfilling lots of energy and good structure – late arriving tannin. The finish is concentrated and impressive. Keep 6 months

Domaine Gaget, Vinum Memoria
Red wax topped
A deep but inviting nose – almost textured – slowly some low sulfur attributes. Red fruit freshness with a mouth-watering great finishing flavour – low sulfur style and completely delicious.

Domaine de la Milleranche Corsin Roussot
More freshness and clarity of fruit here. Broad, mouth-filling energy. There’s an extra dimension of flavour if not overt concentration – super finishing. Excellent wine.

Domaine de Colette, Natur’Elle de Colette
Red wax topped again. Broad, good clarity, even a little spice to this nose – it’s super. A mix of cliché flavours and mineral freshness – great texture too. Beautiful length – bravo!

Domaine du Penlois, Cuvée André Besson
More modest colour. Tighter nose. Some gas and plenty of structure – not showing very well today – but the finish is tasty and sustained…

Sebastien Besson
Modest colour again. Some pretty higher tones and depth but a narrow nose. Gas again but a broad flavour of nicely mouthwatering interest – tasty.

Château de Lavernette, Le Jeune
Red wax topped again.
Herby. Possibly corked. Bottle two has a rounder nose – redder. Good shape, red fruit – plenty of flavour energy. This is very good.

Domaine Monternot Les Jumeaux
Broad, herbed, a little spice here – quite a wild, faintly green nose. Mouth-filling with lots of energy and plenty of great flavour – always with a little green accent. Still very good.

Richard Rottiers
Very cordial red fruit style of aroma. Wide and fresh – direct in style, particular in style too but finishing very well.

Domaine Joncy, Fanchon
Narrow but deep and inviting nose – lovely. Some gas, also some faint reduction but here is a width of good flavour and a very nicely shaped wine. The finish is delicious.

Domaine Joncy
Narrow but fresh – a different style of aromatic. Gassy again. Broad, some cushion to the texture of this. Brod and tasty finishing again – a little more tannin in this case.

Château de Vaux De Vermont Yannick
Deeply coloured. A fresh if easy nose of clean dark fruit. In the mouth too – a width of dark fruit, showing plenty of structure and a faint astringency. Keep some months – it’s excellent!

Domaine des Chers
Versus many, practically medium colour. Another wine with a direct red fruit style. Some floral accents to the red fruit – easy, less intense but very accessible flavour. Fine finishing

Domaine des Combiers, Savoye Laurent
A deeper, more brooding nose. Direct, incisive almost. Cliché Beaujolais flavour but with intensity and framed by some structure – for keeping but it’s very good!

Domaine des Nugues Gelin Gilles, Sans Souffre
A dark-fruited width of fine and varied dimensions. Plenty of volume and width to this flavour. Intense and with good structure again in the finish.

Vignobles Jambon, Pure
Deeply coloured. Quite airy, faintly spiced – these aromas are inviting. Really mouth-filling, with plenty of structure again – a well-constructed wine. Keep for 6-18 months! Excellent!

Nicolas Boudeau
Again a freshness with faint spice. Broad, mouth-filling – a big wine but without a massive growth of structure. Plenty of finishing structure. Tasty wine but for keeping.

Domaine des Nugues
Deeper, darker, almost coffee nose. But incisive and fresh – again a large-scaled wine. Properly a Villages for keeping. A delicious fading finish – it could be a great one in 2 years!

Domaine Péchard Tano
A little more open top notes here but still not a fully open nose. Volume, frame with some astringence. Sweetly fading flavour in the finish. Another that will be excellent.

Maison Jambon
Not a large nose but one with freshness. Mouth-filling and a more cooked style to the dark fruit – but, like the nose, delivered with freshness – and last flavours that are fresh and attractive. Very good.

Jomain Patricia et Bernard, Copains de Vin
Medium colour in this context. Airy red fruit. Large in the mouth though – more red-fruit style. Framed with some dryness of tannin but another fine finish.

Cyril & Georges Depres
Deeper colour again. Good freshness over darker fruit. A big wine, with plenty of astringency to the tannin. The last flavours are like sucking through sand – but keep it 18-24 months and you will be very happy.

Cave de Clochemerle
A narrow nose but still with energy. Really broad and energetic, cooler fruit, less direct astringency – but still! Long, less open finishing today but the form of this wine is very good.

Dominique Piron
Another airy freshness but not overtly open to start – then comes some nice floral accents. This is fine in the mouth – accessible, clean – great texture – bravo!

David Berougon
Broader more accessible aromatics with some cliché Beaulolais bubblegum. Mouth-filling – really tons ov volume and energy here – a big wine. Some tannin in the finish but less astringent than many. Excellent.

Emmanuel Fellot, Vieilles-Vignes
A little less colour but an open and attractive, redder fruit nose. Hmm, this has great red fruit and a slightly cushioned less chiselled textural style. Very tasty!

Domaine Longère
A deep nose – it needs plenty of air for delicacy. Another large-scaled wine, with tannin but not too astringent. Very good finishing once more.

Jean-Paul Dubost, Beaujolais Lantignié
Almost a black wine. Concentrated aromas but not too overdone. Extra concentration, fine texture with a little cushion – but finishing with plenty of drying tannin – excellent but wait – as usual.

Mommessin
Black colour and a nose that’s a bit overdone. Extra freshness – that’s an impressive intensity an acid-cherry intensity – the finish is less my thing – more savoury with lots of astringency.

Manoir du Carra, Dame Nature
The width here is complex and faintly spiced. Large in the mouth once more. A structural but fine wine.

Agamy, Louis Tête Tradition
A less forward nose but with a certain finesse. Broad, almost lush flavour – that’s a very interesting wine – I like it.

Jean Marc Lafont, Jean
Despite dark colour the width of attractive fruit here is lovely. Mouth-filling, juicy, a little salinity is present too. Narrow, mineral but still good finishing.

Domaine du Penlois, Tu m’fais tourner la tête
A smaller nose. Big in the mouth with a redder fruit profile. Lots of freshness without being too mouthwatering. The finish is an involving one though and only moderately astringent – lovely.

Petit Romuald
Fresh, vibrant, more cliché Beaujolais in style. Supple, concentrated and fresh – majoring on red fruits. Finishing with a grain of tannin but it’s not astringent.

Domaine Burnichon
Deep colour again. Not a large nose but one with freshness and dark clarity. Broad and fresh – incisive. A sucrosity to the finishing flavours. Very good!

Domaine de la Madone Famille Bérerd, Pérréonissime
A deep nose, faintly reductive, animal even. In the mouth it’s serious and really needs some air – I would carafe but in this context not an easy wine to judge.

Aucagne Julien
Extra higher tones here a little of spice too. Fuller more open and more energetic than the last – more overt clarity of flavour too. Redder fruit here and very good too.

Domaine du Clos du Fief
Almost some chocolate to this nose. Broad, lush, good texture and mouth-watering energy. This is a very flattering, quite generous wine that will please many people – it’s excellent.

Château de Pougelon
Lighter colour but a heavier bottle. Vibrant concentrated very red fruit aroma. Broad, super texture – a different approach with a very red fruit style – but excellent wine.

Manoir du Carra Sambardier, Vieilles-Vignes
Extra open in the higher tones – very nice. The wine is fresh and attractive over the palate but still with plenty of ‘construction’ i.e. structure! But very tasty.

Domaine de Thulon
Good freshness if not my favourite aroma profile. In the mouth, this is more my style with a round, well-textured supple clarity of fruit. Very nice!

Famille Mélinon, Tirage Précoce
A width of aroma – slightly low sulfur in style. Fine and wide I like the frankness of fresh flavour here – it’s tasty!

Jean Yves Sonnery, Cuvée Elégance
A freshness indeed a finesse to these aromas. Broad, layered, mobile flavour – fine texture too. Slowly fading – another excellent wine.

Jambon Guénael
A grey wax-topped bottle – too heavy too!
But a nose with complexity and finesse – lovely. Some reductive elements in the flavour – but the shape and mobile style of flavour is super. A beam of saline-accented finishing flavour. Really very good, just a little savoury finishing here for me.

Rosé

All these in clear bottles:

Mommessin, Le Père de la Grolle
Pale salmon. Open, attractive, very fine invitation. The flavour is fresh, clean and direct, very modestly mineral, even more modestly herby. A delicious rosé

Domaine du Guélet Puillat C et D
The same pale pink. A deeper nose with almost a faint sizzle of acidity. Wider, more concentrated – good texture. Very good but I’d rather drink the previous wine

Vignerons des Pierres Dorées, Terra Iconia
Pale again. A little more floral perfume in this mix. Again a good fresh attack, more obviously saline in the finish. Very good

Pierre Marie Chermette, Griottes
Screw-cap for this one.
A modestly saline nose but quite compact. Direct, mineral, vs others lacking some sucrosity. Extra mineral width in the finish.

Villages Rosé

Domaine Longère
Pale colour again. Some extra aromatic concentration from this nose. Broad, mineral, fine texture and long too. Still, if you’re looking for an easy, delicious, drink – take the very first wine!

Leave a Reply to John ShepardsonCancel reply

There is one response to “2022 Beaujolais Nouveau – as good as it gets!”

  1. John Shepardson23rd November 2022 at 4:05 amPermalinkReply

    “The harvest was very early – from the middle of August!”
    And yet the article is dated 8-11-2022.
    Perhaps you were sampling the grapes instead of the wines?

    Says the envious American who only ever sees the Georges Duboeuf Nouveau Beaujolais bottles, although this year they were spectacular!

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