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Saturday, August 25, 2018

Beaujolais sampler

Beaujolais for years had a bad rap because of the bubble gum wine Nouveau Beaujolais.  I think people are past that now and realize how great "real" Beaujolais wine can taste.  Beaujolais is a great year round red wine.  Great in the summer too, just put chill it for about 15 minutes.  Also perfect food wine with a wide variety of foods. So Versatile!

There are 10 "Crus" of Beaujolais and they all have very distinct personalities. 
1. Saint Amour: the most Northern of the Crus that is light and easy drinking with red fruits.
2. Julienas:  Heavier with dark fruits, more earthy style.
3. Chenas:  The rarest of the Crus and very close in style to Burgundy and tends to be sturdier.
4. Moulin A Vent: considered the King of the Crus has more body and tannin than the rest and it can be aged the longest.  Even 10-20+ years is not unheard of.
5. Fleurie: "Poor soils make for low yields, so Fleurie is often opulent, always juicy, with much finesse." - Aviron
6. Chiroubles:  The lightest of the Crus but still a fantastic flavors
7. Morgon:  One of the most full bodied and concentrated Crus, just behind Moulin-A-Vent
8. Regnie:  One of the best and freshest and still a decent body.
9. Brouilly:  The most southern Cru, fresh, friendly and great to drink with a wide variety of food.
10. Cote de Brouilly:  A bit riper and fuller than Brouilly, can age well but still drinks very well young.

Beaujolais Sampler pack
Get 12 bottles - 1 from each of the 10 Crus plus a Beaujolais Villages and the BLANC

Get one bottle of each below.
regular price -- $230.88
Special price $200 for all 12 bottles.



Just added - rare WHITE Beaujolais
2015 La Jacarde Beaujolais Village BLANC...$16.99
Beaujolais-Villages Blanc La Jacarde: The only white wine produced at this domaine, the Beaujolais Blanc is sourced from vines in the village of Leynes just south of the villages of Chaintré and Fuissé, a notable area for the production of wines produced from the Chardonnay grape. This single vineyard site of “La Jacarde” is planted to old vines and was formerly part of the Domaine Bernard Dalicieux, the first Beaujolais producer to grace the RWM portfolio. Upon Dalicieux’s retirement, we helped arrange the purchase of this prestigious vineyard site by Pascal Granger. The wine, vinified in stainless steel, is dry with citrus and almond notes, not as flamboyant nor as powerful as the best of the wines from the neighboring appellations of Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint Véran but quite distinguished and satisfying nonetheless.

2016 Stephane Aviron Chenas Vieilles Vignes...$17.99
Made from vines over 100 years old
Stphane Aviron makes wines from many of the crus of Beaujolais, the ten villages that have the potential to produce distinctive wines that stand apart from those labeled Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. (Indeed, wines from these villages rarely put Beaujolais on the label.) One of the things I love about his wines is their transparency, which is to say, the possibility of seeing through the grape variety he uses to the place where he grows them. Take this Chnas, the smallest of the 10 crus, for example. Characteristic of the wines from that village, its meaty and bold with an ever so slightly charming rustic texture. Its an excellent choice for a hearty slow-simmered stew.
Rated 90/100 Wine Review Online

Sustainability: Biodynamic Practices

2016 Stephane Aviron Moulin a Vent Vieilles Vignes...$19.99
Avirons Moulin--Vent dazzles with a paradoxical firmness and fleshiness. The tannins are fine, not hard or astringent. You can almost taste the granitic soil of this cru in this tightly wound wine. Uplifting brightness in the finish amplifies its appeal. It takes time in the glass to blossom so either decant it before serving, or better yet, put it in the cellar for a few years and his wines from the other crus.
Rated 93/100 Wine Review Online
Sustainability: Biodynamic Practices

2016 Stephane Aviron Saint Amour Vieilles Vignes...$19.99
One of the more rare crus.  Rich fruit with a violet finish. The palate is very well rounded with black cherries and cassis. Smooth and rich and very hedonistic.

Sustainability: Biodynamic Practices

2016 Stephane Aviron Cotes de Brouilly Vieilles Vignes...$15.99
The appellation of Côte de Brouilly sits on the high slopes of the extinct volcano Mont Brouilly and is surrounded by the larger appellation of Brouilly. The Potel Aviron Côte de Brouilly is sourced from two separate vineyards. The first makes up about 75% of the blend and sits in the pour soils facing southwest on the hillside. Vines average 60+ years old. This parcel accounts for the wines depth and structure. The second parcel faces due south with younger vines (40+ years) and contributes ripe juicy fruit to the final blend.
Sustainability: Biodynamic Practices
Avg Vine Age: 40-60+ years

2016 Stephane Aviron Morgon Cote de Py....$19.99
Morgon, along with Moulin--Vent, are the two cru that produce the sturdiest wines that often need several years of bottle age to show their true beauty. The Cte de Py is an area within Morgon made of black volcanic soil that imparts an austere mineral-like quality to the wines. Avirons, while displaying this lovely deep minerality, has a beguiling and unexpected suaveness that makes it a delight to drink now. You can safely buy this one by the case, because judging from past vintages of his Morgon Cte de Py, it will develop beautifully with bottle age.
Rated 92/100 Wine Review Online

Sustainability: Biodynamic Practices


2015 Stephane Aviron Fleurie Domaine de Madriere V.V....$19.99
Brilliant ruby. Smoke-accented dark berries, candied licorice, cola and a hint of violet on the deeply perfumed nose. Sappy, fleshy and broad in the mouth, offering lush boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors that show no rough edges and take a sweeter turn with air. In an ample but energetic style, delivering a very long, blue-fruit-driven finish and fine-grained, building tannins.
Rated 91/100 Vinous Media

2014 Domaine de la Chapelle des Bois Chiroubles...$18.99
Chiroubles Cru de Beaujolais: The vineyard holdings of the Domaine de la Chapelle des Bois extend across the Fleurie boundary into Chiroubles. Their parcel is dominated by granite and is planted to vines that are of an average age of 50 years. The cuvaison for the Chiroubles is normally a 10 to 12 day affair. The resulting wine has a vibrant expression of fresh red fruits; it is marked by delicate tannins; and, it is the most precocious and welcoming wine of this estate.
Only 150 cases make it to the U.S. each year

2014 Longefay Brouilly...$19.99
Some of the best vineyards in Brouilly from 20-110 year old vines!
A classic example of Brouilly. The wine has rich red raspberry, and mulberry flavors, with undertones of blue fruit. The finish is unexpectedly silky, long and lingering. In spite of Annie and Bernard’s understated demeanor, this is a wine with considerable elegance and sophistication. Typical of Beaujolais, the combination of soft tannins and bright fruit make this one of the most versatile food wines you can find. It is perfect with everything from pork, to pizza, and even barbeque.



2015 Chateau des Capitans Julienas...$19.99
The 2015 Julienas Chateau des Capitans, of which around 10% is aged in oak, has an opulent black cherry and kirsch-scented bouquet that is lively and generous. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, ripe red plum and strawberry fruit, nicely balanced with a rounded, caressing finish that has just the right amount of edginess. This comes recommended - delicious.
Rated 90/100 The Wine Advocate



2014 Thevenet Grain and Granit Regnie...$29.99
An outstanding bottling from the Beaujolais’ most exciting rising star! Charly comes from the authentic winemaking tradition of the Gang of Four. He doesn’t make much, so get it while you can. BIODYNAMIC


2016 Comte de Langeron Beaujolais Villages...$13.99
A Family winery established in the village of Mercurey (Burgundy). Small production from old vines. An intense Beaujolais with great structure like a Burgundy. Since the 19th century, we have produced a broad range of Burgundy and Beaujolais appellations, part from family owned vineyards and the rest as vinificators.



From Forbes....
Cheap and delicious Pinot Noir is a rare find—what I like to call a unicorn wine, but there is hope for Pinot lovers in the form of cru Beaujolais. Yes, cru Beaujolais wines are made from Gamay grapes, but their texture and mouthfeel can be quite similar to Pinot Noir. Jean Bourjade, director of the wine organization Inter Beaujolais notes that there is even a term for the Burgundy/Beaujolais confusion: “pinote”—which refers to when a cru Beaujolais, after a bit of aging, takes on the attributes of top-level red Burgundy. Indeed, where these two wines differ most dramatically, for the moment at least, is in price.

Shoppers can find several well-made cru Beaujolais offerings in the $20 range. Rising stardom is inching these prices upward, some for as much as $50 a bottle or more, but even that is still a relatively sane dollar amount compared to the upper-atmosphere (and arguably ridiculous) prices for a quality Pinot Noir. The ten crus (Brouilly, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Saint-Amour, Régnié, Chénas, Juliénas, Fleurie, Morgon, and Moulin-à-Vent) are smaller appellations within Beaujolais that are prized for their fruit quality. Because of this distinct vineyard quality, cru Beaujolais wines are far more complex and intriguing than the more common Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais Villages wines. -- Forbes Magazine

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