Category Archives: France

News On the Wine News Front

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in France, Indiana

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It’s any writers dream/nightmare to be setting on a ton of material. I’m blessed/cursed in such a way right now.

For example, I have some great interviews with key Indiana winemakers for a piece on the ‘state of Indiana’ wine I promised to Palate Press last fall. Uhh hmm, that’s  not finished.

Schliessmann

Schliessmann

I have a short interview with filmmaker Martin Schliessmann about his upcoming documentary on Indiana wine. Here is the blog post explaining some of that. The interview is for a future newspaper column.

Last week I visited Chicago and interviewed a number of prominent Oregon winemakers on the emergence of Chardonnay as the ‘next big thing’ from the state. That one is intended for Palate Press.

And, I have updates on a few things from a couple wineries that will make good newspaper column and blog fodder.

That same day I talked with the leader of the Provence wine region about the booming sales of Rose’ in America. That is a newspaper column.

Bordet

Bordet

Today, I interviewed Chablis winemakers, and ambassadors, Christian Moreau and Jean-François Bordet. We talked about Chablis tourism and selling Chablis. That’s intended as a good follow up to my last newspaper column on the basics of Chablis.

There’s more but you get the idea. It’s also nice to tease some upcoming material here.

About Grape Sense

I launched this site two weeks ago and still working on categorizing and labeling 600-plus blog posts from the past five years.

I have several Indiana wineries to add notes on for the link at the very top of the page.

The previous blog software did not allow a way for me to present quite a few magazine pieces, with photos, I’ve written for Madison Magazine and more. I started building that new page over the lunch hour today.

Most Chardonnay is Not Chablis

11 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in France, Newspaper Column 2013

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The vineyards overlooking the small village of Chablis, France

The vineyards overlooking the small village of Chablis, France

That white wine in a jug from California, labeled Chablis, is anything but Chablis.

Chablis has long suffered from bad white wines from regions outside Burgundy calling their Chardonnay the French classic. Arguably, Chablis is the world’s greatest white wine. Chablis is Chardonnay but not all Chardonnay is Chablis.

Grape Sense LogoNow that’s not wine geek double-talk. It only takes one taste of French Chablis to realize Chardonnay can be so much more than the big buttery, oak-infused wines coming from many wine regions. And those wine lovers who like oaked Chardonnay have to admit Chablis is something totally different.

Chablis is about two hours southeast of Paris in the northernmost region of Burgundy.

Winemakers grow Chardonnay almost exclusively. Chablis sets in a small valley with steep hills on each side covered with vineyard. There are four main appellations of Chablis: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. The Petit Chablis and Chablis represent the largest plantings and also the wines that are least expensive. These wines can be found in any decent wine shop at $15-$25. The quality is superb at that price point.

The hillsides have plenty of limestone beneath the soils. A walk through the vineyard illustrates the wine’s minerality by the amount of rock scattered across the vineyard floor.

The truly great Chablis wines are the Premier and Grand Cru wines. There are approximately 2,000 acres of Premier Cru vineyard and a mere 250 acres of Grand Cru grapes.

Chablis at the lower price point is often, though not always, fermented and aged without oak. The Premier and Grand Cru wines often are aged partially with oak and stainless steel.

Many wine drinkers think of white wine as a consumable product different from big reds. The great Chablis wines only improve with age and offer complexity and a soft richness on the palate only aging can deliver.

Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon

Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon

Chablis is a region of rich tradition, pride, and stubborn adherence to its heritage. A new generation of Chablis winemakers are experimenting with technology, wine-making techniques, and embracing the marketing of their unique region.

But to understand the French passion for wine there is nothing better than a visit with one of the region’s biggest names. Bernard Billaud of Billaud-Simon is an icon. Visiting with him in October was an unforgettable experience.

“Chablis wine is about minerality and acidity,” he said, raising his voice, when asked a second or third time about the increasing use of oak. “If it’s not about minerality, you’re just making Chardonnay.”

While the comment by itself is not terribly profound, you had to hear the derision and the way he strung out the word C-h-a-r-d-on-n-a-y to know he is a man of passion.

“The more minerally the soil, the more iodine it has and then the more it needs wood,” Billaud said. He added that oak will neutralizes the iodine taste. “Chablis wines are acidic wines and a dry white wine from a singular vineyard.”

JeanFWhat is so wonderful about Chablis? It’s the apple, pear and dry mineral taste that goes so perfectly with food — particularly seafood or poultry.

Howard’s Picks: Billaud-Simon, William Ferve, Domaine Séguinot-Bordet, Jean Marc Brocard, Pascal Bouchard, Domaine des Marronniers and Alain Geoffroy. There are plenty of other labels to try but these were some of my favorites during an October 2012 visit.

Howard W. Hewitt, Crawfordsville, IN., writes every other week about wine for 22 Midwestern newspapers. Read his wine blog at its new home:  www.howardhewitt.net

Provence, Oregon Visiting Chicago

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in France, Oregon

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Trade tasting events often are hosted by importers and wholesalers and give wine media, retailers, and wholesalers a chance to taste some wines. They’re always nice events, in great places, with really good food.

Chicago 230 x 300By an unfortunate coincidence, Oregon’s Willamette Valley producers and France’s Vins de Provence are holding tastings Thursday at almost exactly the same times on opposite sides of downtown Chicago.

But the great part is winemakers and winery owners will be on hand at both events. That’s a wine writer’s gold mine!

I registered for the Pinot in the Windy City event first then learned the date of the Provence pouring. So I have a strategy to get to both but downtown Chicago traffic could play a role.

The Oregon producers are making their first excursion to Chicago. “We’ve touched both coasts with our traveling events and look forward to sharing our wines in the great Midwest,” said Sue Horstman, Willamette Valley Wineries Association Executive Director.

A public tasting will take place 6-9 p.m. at City Winery on the near west side of downtown following the trade event. Anyone can taste the great Pinot, Pinot Gris and other wines for $65 by registering in advance.

ProvenceI know Oregon friends Jesse Lange, Lange Estate Winery, and Bill and Donna from Winderlea will be in attendance.

Across town near the lakeshore, Vins de Provence will host a trade tasting presenting approximately 20 wineries pouring their Provence Rose’ and other wines.

The explosion of US sales of Provence Rose’ makes the visit a great story to share.

I hope to make both events. Or as I like to call it – work, work, work!

Chablis Changes Chardonnay Bias

02 Saturday Mar 2013

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An ABC wine drinker often wears the badge proudly while earning the derision of others. Woe is the wino who shuns Chardonnay in others eyes!Anything But Chardonnay – according to our good friends, often accurate occasionaly way out there, Wikipedia: Acronym for “Anything but Chardonnay” or “Anything but Cabernet“. A term conceived by Bonny Doon‘s Randall Grahm to denote wine drinkers’ interest in grape varieties.

Guilty as charged! Unoaked Chardonnay can be palatable for my taste but I can hardly choke down the oaky California version of one of the world’s most widely planted grapes. I’ve tried, I’ve failed.

Until …… I visited Chablis. Many will argue Chablis is the greatest white wine in the world! And yes, for the dearly uninformed – you guessed it, Chablis is Chardonnay! But you would hardly recognize her, particularly if your a novice, and no one tipped you off to the cross-dressing vinifera.

Chardonnay becomes an entirely different wine when grown at the very top of Burgundy. The soils, slopes and limestone create a refreshing white wine of depth with crisp acidity and beautiful minerality.

urlI learned such magic during a fall press trip to Chablis and was reminded again this week with a simple $18 bottle of Joseph Drouhin 2011 Vaudon.

For you real geeks here is all you could ever want to know from the good people at Pure Chablis. That’s also one of the best sites you find for all things Chablis.

How does a little minerality and acid change a wine that everyone knows and everyone has probably tasted? It’s the magic of terrior. I remember the aggravated words of Bernard Billaud who said (and I paraphrase) …’if you are talking Chablis it has to be about the minerality and acidity, and if not …. you are just making Chardonnay.’

Chabis icon Bernard Billaud

Chablis icon Bernard Billaud

He spit out the last five words as though he had swallowed some bitter, over-oaked Chard from some far corner of the world.

Now, why the riff on all this. Aaaa, back to the Drouhin, my $18 bottle of France I enjoyed with Chicken Lyon. The dish is essentially braised then baked chicken with lots of garlic in a cream and red wine vinegar sauce.

Drouhin’s Vaudon is aged in old oak barrells and comes from Valley of Vauvillien, nestled between the Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre Premier Cru vineyards. The name “Moulin de Vaudon” comes from the watermill nearby, owned by the Drouhin family and straddling the Serein River. (from Drouhin website).

For you geeky folks there is lemon and lime and restrained minerality and acid. I love it because it’s a finessed wine with a full mouth feel. It is one of the mostly wonderfully round and balanced white wines I’ve enjoyed in a long, long time.

Wine critics and other popular sites consistently rate this wine around 88-90 points. It doesn’t have the two traditional characteristics of mineral and acid to please a purist. But for wine newbies and people looking for great wine under $20, I’d give Drouhin Vaudon a 91-92. I paid $17.99 for the bottle at Kahns, Indianapolis. On the net, I found a price range of $18-$25.

For more on my October 2012 visit to Chablis click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4.

So-So French Rouge, Nice Blanc

25 Monday Feb 2013

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French wine isn’t all $1,000 a bottle. The crazy things that happens with French futures and the high-end Chateau wines from Bordeaux grab the headlines but there are plenty of tasty treats at all price points.

Here is a look at two wines, a red and a wine, which are pretty easy to find and both under $15.

madiranChateau Peyros 2006 Madiran – This southern Bordeaux wine is probably best suited for a red wine drinker who want’s to try an easily affordable Bordeaux. Madiran is the appellation area while the grapes are Cabernet and a grape that will be unfamiliar to some, Tannat.

Tannat is the dominant grape in the Madiran region and also found in Uruguay. There’s also a little Tannat grown in Virginia and California. Indiana’s Jim Butler, at Butler winery near Bloomington, recently told me he is planting some tannat.

Tannat is a grape that produces a tannic wine that is intended for aging. It’s most often blended with Cabernet and the other more traditional Bordeaux grapes.

These are dark wines with big flavor and can be quite rich and wonderful. They can also be too dry, leathery, and off-putting. Any wine with a dose of Tannat probably needs decanting.

The Chateau Peyros is easy to find but definitely needs that decant. I tasted it after pouring through a good aerator but found it lacking much fruit. I searched a few online reviews and found many agreeing with my first impression. Those who let the wine open up certainly liked it more than those of us who opened and poured.

Its a nice wine. It generally gets good marks 90-ish from critics. But on consumer driven wine review sites the wine scores lower. It’s hard to recommend this wine because many are not going to care for it. Some will even find it thin straight from the bottle. If you have the patience to decant a couple of hours or more and like trying the proverbial ‘something different,’ then Chateau Peyros is worth your try.

Chateau Peyros 2006 Madiran, $14, Recommended, with reservations noted.

clapping hands2Chateau La Tour de Beraud 2010 Costieres de Nimes – If you like tart citrus, lovely blance, and crisp acidity – clap your hands!

This is a really delightful Southern France white wine. Generally, classifying wines to the season is geeky-goofiness that just doesn’t matter. I like to live by the rule that if you like it – drink it.

I prefer these crisp whites in the summer but really loved this one in mid February with pasta. The Beraud has an aluring nose that hints of mineral and bright citrus.

beraudThere seems to be a touch of peach and a little satisfying sour/tart characteristic on the finish. The wine is made from Grenache Blanc, Rousanne and Marsanne grapes – the classic Southern French wine grapes. These are great grapes and wine blends to try. And, the Southern Rhone and Languedoc regions are making some wonderful value reds and whites which taste far above their often meager prices.

Costieres de Nimes is southern most Rhone and often associated with the ancient Romans. Romans planted some of the original vineyards in the ancient area.

Chateau La Tour de Beraud 2010 Costieres de Nimes, $9-$11, Recommended!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Great Wines – Big Price/Flavor

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in France, Italy, Napa/Sonoma

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Here are some quicky reviews on some really great red wines – not good, but really great. The price point is a tad higher than the value wines I write about in the newspaper column but, I’d argue, the wines are better than the price point listed!

Philippe Cambie La Calendal 2007 Cotes du Rhone – There is good and then there is crazy good. If you like Rhone wines, no .. make that … if you like red wine, you are going to love this incredible and unique French blend.

I bought this wine because I had heard Philippe Cambie referrer to in such glowing terms in the wine media over and over and over. Well, my colleagues are right on this one. This is a unique Rhone wine because of the blend. It’s 80 percent Mourvedre and 20 percent Grenache.

This was smooth and rich like many Rhone wines but it had much more of a mid-palate and secondary notes than most Rhone bottles. It has dark and earthy qualities beyond the usual $15 entry. For me, credit the Mouvredre – probably my favorite grape many haven’t even heard about! Robert Parker gave this wine 92 points – quite high for a Parker rating of Rhone.

The Cambie wine is easily one of the best Cotes du Rhones I’ve ever tasted.

Philippe Cambie La Calendal 2007 Cotes du Rhone, $23-$27, Very Highly Recommended. 

Girard 2009 Artistry – This big red California blend is awesome wine. It’s a rich blend of 56 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 percent Cab Franc, 11 percent Petite Verdot, 10 percent Merlot, and 8 percent Malbec. It’s obviously a Bordeaux style blend that delivers serious bang for the buck. I bought this on an online wine site for $23-$24 but it normally sells at $45.

Frankly, I usually don’t find these wines that good at $45 but this one is an exception. It’s got bright flavors like a cherry or spice. It has a long-lasting finish and beautiful mouth feel. It’s big alcohol at 15 percent without the burn on the finish.

The wine publications, Wine Spectator and Enthusiast, consistently like this wine with ratings of 89-92 through the 1008 vintage.

If you aren’t drinking California blends you are missing out on a lot of great red wines.

Girard 2009 Artistry, $44.99, Highly Recommended

Morlanda Crianza 2007 Priorat – This is great dry Spanish wine. At $40 it may scare some people off, but frankly it drinks above even that price point.

This dry beauty has currents, coffee, and dirt on the palate. This is dry and wonderful red wine. It’s not a sipper but works well with food. I loved this wine with some mildly-spiced, roasted pork.

How do you coax a vineyard into making great wine? You drop fruit and take a low yield. The winery gets just over one ton an acre from the vineyards for this wine. And if you want another good sign, there are only 3,000 cases of the wine produced.

Spectator, Enthusiast and Advocate all give the 2007 a rating of 90 points.

Morlanda Crianza 2007 Priorat, SRP $40, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Thoughts on Great Wines with Buddies

27 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in California, France, Indiana, Paso Robles & Mendocino

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A big group of wine friends gathered the Saturday before Christmas with some great food items and six great wines. I have notes on five of the six and all five were big winners.

This will be some quick notes on wines you should buy if you see them in your nearest wine shop. I’ll list them in the order we drank them that night.

Craggy Range Kidnapper’s Vineyard 2011 Chardonnay – The Craggy Range Chard really surprised me. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a New Zealand Chardonnay before! Based on this one, I might try a few more.

Any time I’m talking Chardonnay I add the disclaimer that I’m generally not a fan. I liked this Chard second best only to better Chablis wines. It doesn’t have any taste of oak but sees a bit along with mostly stainless steel. I liked the wine’s mouth feel, richness, lime and spice. Not all of the wine dudes agreed, but I also got a rich apple flavor – like apple pie.

It has mild acidity and a pretty soft finish but was still enjoyable. The guys around the living room all liked the wines. I found some online reviews, out of curiosity, that scored the wine well but were rather harsh in description. I didn’t find anything harsh about the wine. If you like Chardonnay in a softer style, try this one!

Craggy Range Kidnapper’s Vineyard 2011 Chardonnay, $18-$22, Trade Sample, Highly Recommended.

Oliver 2010 Shiraz Reserve – Yes, that’s Oliver as in Oliver Winery near Bloomington Ind. Oliver, along with several other Indiana wineries, get lumped into the perception Indiana winemakers only make cheap and sweet wines. There was a time that was an accurate description but not any more.

This is probably the single best Indiana red wine I’ve ever tasted. I poured the wine blind for the dudes and they all loved it. I asked the most experienced wine drinker in the room if he would have objected if I had suggested a Northern Rhone Syrah before revealing the wine’s origin. He thought the French connection made sense after I told the group it was Syrah.

Of course they were surprised but also delighted. Indiana wines have come a long way. Bill Oliver is darn proud of his better bottlings and they sell! And, in the Indy International Wine Competition, tasted blindly as well, this wine was awarded an infrequent Double Gold Medal.

The wine has a great mouth feel with the kind of spice you’d expect from good Syrah. It is very balanced and beautifiul wine.

Oliver 2010 Shiraz Reserve, $26, Very Highly Recommended

Denner Vineyards 2007 The Ditch Digger – This Paso Robles wine is an absolute rock star on any wine rack! I might even be ready to argue that this Denner wine is one of the signature bottles from the Central California region.

This is a big rich red wine with fine balance that’s hard not to like for any red wine fan. The blend is 40 percent Grenache, 33 percent Syrah, 20 percent Mourvedre, and 7 percent Cinsault.

The wine has deep blackberry, cherry and chocolate flavors. It has generally been very highly praised with this vintage garnering 93 points from Wine Spectator and 91 points from Robert Parker.

It’s big fruit with nice balance and even a freshness that is really desirable in many of the big Paso Robles wines. It’s not cheap, but worth every nickel.

Denner Vineyards 2007 Ditch Digger, $50, Very Highly Recommended

Gary Farrell 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir – The Carneros is no Russian River Valley but is a wine you will occasionally find on internet flash sites and special sales. At 50 percent off the list price, this is a great buy.

The wine has a definitely tart cherry if you don’t pick out anything else on the palate. The acidity and finish is very average but this is nice drinkable Pinot. It’s hard for me to criticize a drinkable Pinot with good fruit at $20 Had I forked out full retail of $40, then this brief review would read differently. But it’s good Pinot Noir for $20 it just doesn’t live up to a $40 price point or the Gary Farrell Russian River Valley wines.

Gary Farrell 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir, SRP $40, less elsewhere, Recommended.

Domaine Du Gravillas 2007 Lo Vielh – I’ve been saving this bottle for a special occasion and could not think of any time better than three days before Christmas with my best wine buddies!

This is great wine.

It’s probably a grape many wine drinkers have never even heard of before – Carignan. It is grown in a few spots around the world but most commonly in Southern France.

John Bojanowski and his wife Nicole discovered a now 101-year-old vineyard of Carignan on their Domaine du Gravillas property and have used the grapes as part of the crop that goes into this wine.

Carignan is funky and rich. It’s tart yet very drinkable. Carignan is not for beginning wine drinkers – or wimps. John takes this big funky grape and delivers a wine with soft tannins and full-rich fruit. It is stunningly good.

I have to say I was surprised and I was not that the majority of my seven friends tasting the wines above picked the Carignan as their favorite of the night!

Domaine Du Gravillas 2007 Vielh, $35, Very Highly Recommended.

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

How About Splurging for the Holidays

17 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in France, Newspaper Column 2012, Uncategorized, Washington State

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If there is ever a time to splurge on something special, it’s the holidays for most of us. For five years now Grape Sense has focused on value wine under $20. That’s not going to change. But for one column, here are some suggestions that will range $10-$20 higher than the wines normally mentioned in the column.

One of the great adventures in a wine education is discovering price point differences relative to quality. There are many differences of opinion. My experience is that when you break about $15, there is a difference in quality.

Here are some wines for a special occasion that should deliver a real bang on the palate for just a 10 or 20 spot more than the usual $12-$15 bottle. It may take a wine shop to find them, but all should be available in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
Lange Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – The Lange Pinot at about $22 is one of the best ‘entry level’ Oregon Pinot Noirs on the market. Jesse and Don Lange deliver better fruit than most at this price.
The wine remains light bodied and well balanced the key characteristics of great Oregon Pinot Noir.
Klinker Brick Zinfandel – There are plenty of under $15 Zins on the market but few under $20 that provide the bang for the buck that Klinker Brick delivers. This is on my all-time list for great wines under 20 bucks. This is old vine Zin which delivers big fruit that balances the higher-than-usual alcohol. It’s dynamite red wine for winter meals.

Tamarack Cellars Merlot – The oft-maligned red grape is making a comeback of sorts. Washington state producers have been leading the pack in developing interesting Merlot wines with dark fruit, spice, and chocolate flavors. This wine has been a 90-point-plus entry from most of the critics. It can be found at $20-$25.

Ca’ De’ Rocchi Ripasso Montere – This is the best value Italian red wine I’ve ever tasted. Ripasso style wines from the Valpolicella district have been hot. It’s made from the Corvina, Rondinella, and Moliara grapes. The combination creates a fruit wine with some real depth. It’s perfect for food and friends who may not always be big wine drinkers. Look for it at $20-$24. The wine is an incredible value buy.
Obra Prima ReservaMalbec – As much as the Ripasso above is good for wine novices, the Obra Prima isn’t for newcomers. For the wine drinker who likes big dark fruit, dark chocolate, wonderfully balanced acid and tannin, here is a pick for you. The 2007 vintage in current release sells for $17.

Fleur Cardinale Grand Cru Saint Emilion – If you want to go all out for a special night or impress your friends, reach for Bordeaux. Wines from the world’s greatest regions are famously wonderful and expensive. This Merlot driven blend is a great way to see what the wine world swoons over when it comes to the iconic French region. Robert Parker rates it at 90 points, and I think it’s even a tad bit better than that. It really does taste well above the not-so-cheap price point of $45.

Billaud-Simon Premier Cru Montee de Tonnerre – Taste the terroir of Burgundy with this great bottle of Chablis (Chardonnay) from one of the region’s greatest producers. This wine is stunning with poultry or smoke salmon. Chablis has long suffered from poor imitators. It’s rare you can enjoy a bottle of some of the world’s very best wine for the average price of $25.
NEXT COLUMN: Check out the annual list of Top 10 Value Wines of the Year!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Chenin Blanc Great Thanksgiving Pairing

23 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in France, Holidays

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Like many wine drinkers, I find Thanksgiving a time to experiment with wine pairings. As I wrote in my newspaper column, published below, the annual “Thanksgiving wine pairing” newspaper column is a challenge and a drag. How many times can you say ‘Chardonnay and Reisling go well with turkey and if you want a red try Pinot Noir.’

I did make a few other suggestions but I also like to experiment with wine and food  – and not just with Thanksgiving. Actually, I’d suggest it’s great palate-expanding exercise for any regular wine drinker. How about a Soave or even Pinot Grigio with your red sauce pasta? And one of my favorite exercises is trying to get white fish lovers to try a 100 percent Mourvedre or a nice Languedoc red blend.

Ying and yang are friends of mine and I’d encourage you to find your inner wine geek and break the molds. Drink what you like, experiment, and ignore the same ‘ol, same ‘ol.

Now, that being said, I didn’t go crazy this Thanksgiving day but I did do something different. I love good Chenin Blanc. I had never done Chenin Blanc at Thanksgiving but the more I thought about it the more I thought it should be a perfect pairing.

If you like bone dry and minerality in your whites, you’ve got to be sampling Loire Valley whites.This Domaine des Baumard 2008 Savennieres was simply outstanding. Indeed, bone dry was the first words that registered in my turkey stupor when tasting this wine. I got lemon, richness, and complexity that was a perfect partner for the bird.

An interesting sidenote, I found this bottle in an unexpectedly large wine shop in Columbus, Indiana. It was marked at $24.50. If I had better internet access visiting Mom, I’d double check the price point across the net. But it’s taken a Herculean effort to get the photo uploaded, through Photoshop, and this blog posted. My guess is that’s a pretty fair price. If you like your whites bone dry the Baumard is outstanding.

Now, I think I’ll finish the bottle off with a turkey leg!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

Hard Times in France’s Beaujolais Region

16 Friday Nov 2012

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Yesterday was the international release of this year’s French Beaujolais Nouveau. Largely dismissed as nothing more than marketing it still is one of the major dates on any yearly wine calendar.

Many wine drinkers have tried to like the young wine, fresh from the vineyard but it is thin, it is uncomplicated, and often just isn’t very good. But Beaujolais winemakers have gotten better in recent years promoting their Cru wines from 10 different regions. Now the Crus wines are Thanksgiving and holiday worthy for any meal. They are still lighter style wines but they are aged, have some tannin structure along with more depth of flavor.

It is actually fun to try the different Beaujolais Cru and appreciate the subtle differences.

You can read a lot about Beaujolais wines this time of year in a lot of different spots. But a news story of note caught my eye going through my morning reads. The Beaujolais harvest was severely impacted by 2012 weather.

Check out this piece from the iconic Decanter Magazine.

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