2019 Beaujolais Nouveau
160 wines blind-tasted in Beaujolais, 05 November 2019.
Of course, 2019 was another in the series, the trilogy, of warm years - but one with instances of frost. More drastic than the frost was a late-arriving hailstorm that on the 20th of August swept through the south of Beaujolais, cutting yields - in some cases drastically. The average losses were minus 30% - but it was Beaujolais-Villages where the most was lost, hence, the volume of ‘Nouveau de Garde’ has been significantly reduced this year.
I've previously laughed out load about the concept of Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau - Nouveau that you can cellar - so I will not bore you about that, not this time!
This year I embarked on a 160 wine gamayathon; I was certainly tired at the end, fortunately not emotional though! This year we even had 8 Nouveau of a different colour - rosé... That's up from the 3 from last year that I didn't taste(!) At this rate of growth we will have 20 in 2020!
What to expect and what's really worth buying
So three quite hot years, generally that's beneficial to the quality, but with three different results:
2017 - low yielding and probably because of that a really high quality in both the Nouveau and the Villages Nouveau
2018 - less low yielding, and that was the crux. Basic Nouveau was much more variable but the Villages Nouveau was more consistent
2019 - because of frost and hail, yields were cut, and for the consumer that has once more brought consistency and quality to the basic Nouveau category due to lower yields. I think only twice did I instantly say 'No!' and run from a particular wine. As for the Villages Nouveau - here was overwhelmingly more concentration and particularly intensity - the intensity of acidity - probably okay if you wish to cellar your Nouveau for 6-12 months, but I was looking for the balance for drinking now, and from this tasting that was relatively rare. As for the rosé wines - super, all of them - really a great source of easy, delicious drinking for the next weeks - or even longer - why not? Read More
monday 16 Sept – harvest 2019 update
Savigny 1er Les Vergelesses We start Monday with some white Pernand villages – Les Pins – a few hail impacts and also a few dried grapes to remove, but cool and fresh from the vineyards, this first-picked wine of the day has grapes that were oh-so delicious… Read More
Profile: Château des Ravatys
Tasted in Saint-Lager with Axel Joubert, 09 May 2019. Château des Ravatys 37 Ravatys 69220 Saint-Lager Tel: +33 4 74 66 80 35 www.chateaudesravatys.com An impressive and unusual producer – it is effectively the Domaine de l’Institut Pasteur. This is a domaine that’s far too… Read More
Mainly Beaujolais – new names & many magnums
Bien Boire en Beaujolais 2019 afforded me to the opportunity of finding a few (relatively) new names – here are 10 of them. Where possible I mainly tasted their 2017s. The domaines were not all from Beaujolais – truth be told, there’s some very nice Mâconnais domaines too! Plus I… Read More
Pierre Amiot et Fils – 2014
Tasted in Morey with Jean-Louis Amiot, 03 November 2015. Domaine Pierre Amiot Et Fils 27 Grande Rue 21220 Morey-Saint-Denis Tel: +33 3 80 34 14 18 www.domainepierreamiot.fr Jean-Louis Amiot explains that the domaine, now in its 5th generation, came from his father who began… Read More
just a few whites from this week…
Drunk slowly over the last 4 days, with a little Volnay here and there. The first two being part of a selection opened for tour-guests which also included a Puligny Champs Canet and a Bienvenues plus more Volnay 😉 2012 Olivier Leflaive, Bourgogne Oncle Vincent… Read More
Burgundy’s merchant class – facing up to a changing market
Versus a generation ago – let us say 30 years – the market dynamics of traders who buy and sell wine have been far from static. The traditional Beaune-based merchants, or the ‘Maisons’ remain the focus of commentators but they have much more competition today, and at all levels… Read More
Georges Noellat – 2013
Tasted in Vosne with Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse (yes, from Bordeaux!) 26th November, 2014. Domaine Georges Noëllat 1 Rue des Chaumes 21700 Vosne-Romanée Tel: +33 3 80 61 11 03 Maxime Cheurlin was elsewhere so we were lucky enough to be hosted by Joséphine, who is working at Georges… Read More
The best of Corton 2009 – Blind!
I tasted a range of 2009 Corton during the Grand Jours de Bourgogne in early 2012 and I thought it a terrific vintage for the hill; consistent, powerful and yet balanced. Of-course the fruit was a little riper in 2009, but I felt that suited this appellation right… Read More