Beaujolais Gets Respect From The New York Times...We Have the Wines!
10/12/2009 -
(Ducroux's biodynamic vineyards in Regnié - Photo: D. Lillie)
We were happy to see yesterday's article by Eric Asimov in The New York Times extolling the virtues of Cru Beaujolais ("Beaujolais Shows Its Complex Side" 08/05/2009.) We at Chambers Street have always been huge fans of Beaujolais despite the lack of respect this region receives in the US, and even in France. Gamay from the granitic hills of Beaujolais, in the hands of the best natural producers, can give gloriously delicious wines, both for immediate pleasure and for mid-term cellaring.
(Feel free to skip down to our great list of natural Beaujolais!)
Unfortunately, the market has long been dominated by large negociants, who have mostly chosen to produce vast quantities of overcropped, sugar-laden wines (not to mention Nouveau) that have seriously damaged the reputation of the region. Fermentations with innoculated yeasts which created artificially fruity and exotic aromas have further dulled consumers' enthusiasm. Fortunately, there have always been growers committed to making "real" Beaujolais and finally there seems to be renewed interest in these great wines in the US. (The economic situation for the growers remains difficult as prices, still dominated by the negociant market, remain low and bureaucrats aligned with the big companies continue to harass the smaller high-quality producers.) Led by Kermit Lynch, and now Louis/Dressner Selections and others, American importers have made a wide variety of the best Beaujolais available to us, and we thank Eric, Bernie and the panel for featuring some of these wines in today's column.
Carbonic Maceration, the predominant method of vinification in the Beaujolais in which a portion of the fermentaion occurs anaerobically in whole berries, has many variations. In most modern and negociant wines, after a short period of carbonic maceration, the juice is sulfited and fermentations are finished quickly with innoculated yeasts, and there is often a large amount of sugar added to boost the alcohol level. Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Georges Descombes and others, inspired by the research of Jules Chauvet in the 1950's and 60's, do a longer, low - temperature carbonic maceration, without the addition of sulfur dioxide, and ferment "naturally" with only the wild yeasts present on the grapes or in the cellar, producing remarkably elegant and complex wines, and happily, many other growers are now using the "methode Lapierre". These wines provide wonderful drinking when young and will keep 5 to 8 years and more in a good vintage. The aromatics are remarkably pretty and complex, as anyone who has recently tasted the 2007 Foillard Morgon Cote de Py can attest to. Other growers, particularly in Moulin-a-Vent, Julienas, Morgon and parts of Fleurie, practice a more Burgundian style of vinification and produce wines which typically need 3 to 5 years (or more) of cellaring before drinking. This can be a modified carbonic maceration where a larger percentage of juice ferments normally with wild yeasts (Coudert, Desvignes and many others), or a vinification where the grapes are destemmed, pressed and vinified as in Burgundy (Jean-Paul Brun and others). The 2007 Coudert Fleurie Clos la Roilette, Cuvée Tardive, for example, is a magnificent wine that will be at its' best in 5 to 10 years, as will the Morgons of Desvignes. I was fortunate enough to travel in the Beaujolais a few times in the mid-nineties and drank many 1985 Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent which were among the greatest food wines I've ever had. Twenty years of visits to the cellar of Alain Coudert are futher testament to the greatness of Cru Beaujolais, particularly when dusty old bottles from bad vintages turn out to be lovely!
In conclusion, we encourage you to peruse our current list, which includes many of the finest natural growers in the region, and try a variety of these unique wines - to drink now, cool, with just about anything you're cooking this summer (not to mention andouillettes) or, if you have the capability, to cellar for the wonderful experience of mature Gamay. In a world gone mad for high-scoring, high alcohol, frequently undrinkable red wines, we find ourselves turning more and more often to the best natural growers of the Beaujolais!
(Note: The Descombes Chiroubles listed in the Times is the Vieilles Vignes, the "regular" version is available by his stepson, Damian Coquelet. Of course we would add Coudert's Clos de la Roilette Fleurie and Desvignes Morgon to our top ten, but they would need decanting or a few days open to show well in a blind tasting. And yes, the 2008 Terres Dorees (Jean-Paul Brun) Cote-de-Brouilly is just as good as the 2007... Marcel Lapierre should be there too, with an honorable mention to Jules Chauvet!)
