Beaujolais, some refer to it the only white wine that appears to be red. That is a analogy that is quite appropriate, never mind the intense burgundy colors that Beaujolais appears.
Beaujolais is close to white wine in its expression and thrist-quenching capabilities. The make up of a beaujolais starts with a gamay grape.
The singular grape used in red Beaujolias is gamay. Gamay noir a jus blanc, to be precise. Distinguished as quite litterally a black grape that offers white juice. Ironically, a scant amount of white Beaujolais is also produced annually. Usually made from chardonnay and aligote grapes.
Gamay grapes flavors are utterly unmistakeable. Imagine a rush of sweet black cherry and black raspberry, then a hint of peaches, violets, and roses, followed by a hint of peppery spiciness at the end. In some reds a confined rasp of tannin acts as a cloak over the fruit flavors.
Not always found in Beaujolais. Gamay grapes are already low in tannins. They are naturally profuse in their fruitiness and more often seem much more dramatic. However, the personality of the Beaujolais comes not just from the gamay grape, but also from the unusal style in which the wine is conceived.
The process itself is long and and steeped in tradition. The process is called carbonic maceration. During the process, clusters of grapes are put whole into fermentation tanks and the fermentation literally takes place inside each grape.
Carbonic maceration in theory could be used with just about any other grapes, however, it happens to be most successful with ultrafruity grapes, as with the gamay grape.
After fermentation, Beaujolias relaxes in tanks for five to nine months before coming to market. While 5 to nine months may not seem like a long time, it so happens that it's just enough time to take the grapey newborn edginess off the wine and allows it to emit a more fruity, flowery and spicey flavor.
Beaujolais is both the name of the place and the wine where it's produced. The vineyards of Beaujolias extend north to south for some-odd 35 miles over low granite hills in the southernmost reaches of Burgundy, France.
Beaujolais is considered to be part of Burgundy even though, aside from the proximity, the 2 regions have virtually nothing in common. For one example, the climates are dissimilar; the grapes are unmistakeably different; the way the wines are made varies radically.
Even the imbodiment of each wine is unique in and of itself. Beaujolais is as playful as Burgundy is a stalward.
One large misconception with regard to Beaujolais is that it's a annual wine experience, typically drunk in the late fall months, when signs in savvy restaurants and cute little wine shops go up en mass.
As far as Beaujolias go, there is a distinction between what is commercial and what might be called "old-style" Beaujolais is important for anyone who truly cares about flavor.
By comparison, "old-style" Beaujolais is made by a very small percentage of growers, who are often considered fanatics. These traditional growers keep yields 20% to 30% below the amount allowed for production. They do not chaptalize, they filiter lightly, if at all, and hold the wine up to ten months, bottling it as an estate wine. Traditionally made Beaujolais wines age the best and often take on an earthy, pinot noir-like characteristic as they get older
How can you tell traditionally made Beaujolias from commercially made Beaujolais? There really is no foolproof way; however, traditionally made Beaujolais most often cost more, is generally bottled by an individual estate, and is usually imported into the United States by a handful of select importers who specialize in small estates.
Select importers who specialize in top-notch, "old-style" Beaujolais include Alain Jugenet, Kermit Lynch, Louis/Dressner, Martine's Wines and Weygandt-Metzler.
The basic varieties are labeled very simply Beaujolais. This particular grape comes from mainly less distinguished vineyards in the south. While the soil there is much more fertile, the land is a lot more flat. As a result, the wines tend to be lighter, with less of a concentration in fruit flavors, but, there are some notable exceptions.
Beaujolais-Villages, is a smidgen better in quality, it comes from thirty-nine villages in the hilly midsection of the region. The soil here is a bit poorer, mostly composed of granite and sand, forcing the vines to struggle more and ultimately yields better grapes. Beaujolais-Villages wines are generally a blend of grapes of wines from several villages.
Even better still is the Beaujolais Cru. In Beaujolais the actual word Cru does not indicate a vineyard as it does in other regions of France, but, instead, refers to 10 specialized villages. Beaujolais Cru wines come from these specialized villages, all of which are located on tall granite hills in the northern most part of Beaujolais.
Should anyone drink Beaujolais chilled? oh yes, chill it. When Beaujolais is served cool but not cold to the touch, after about fifteen minutes in your wine refrigerator, its flavor simply exploded with fruits and spices. Chilling the wine, by the way, is customary in the region.
Beaujolais is close to white wine in its expression and thrist-quenching capabilities. The make up of a beaujolais starts with a gamay grape.
The singular grape used in red Beaujolias is gamay. Gamay noir a jus blanc, to be precise. Distinguished as quite litterally a black grape that offers white juice. Ironically, a scant amount of white Beaujolais is also produced annually. Usually made from chardonnay and aligote grapes.
Gamay grapes flavors are utterly unmistakeable. Imagine a rush of sweet black cherry and black raspberry, then a hint of peaches, violets, and roses, followed by a hint of peppery spiciness at the end. In some reds a confined rasp of tannin acts as a cloak over the fruit flavors.
Not always found in Beaujolais. Gamay grapes are already low in tannins. They are naturally profuse in their fruitiness and more often seem much more dramatic. However, the personality of the Beaujolais comes not just from the gamay grape, but also from the unusal style in which the wine is conceived.
The process itself is long and and steeped in tradition. The process is called carbonic maceration. During the process, clusters of grapes are put whole into fermentation tanks and the fermentation literally takes place inside each grape.
Carbonic maceration in theory could be used with just about any other grapes, however, it happens to be most successful with ultrafruity grapes, as with the gamay grape.
After fermentation, Beaujolias relaxes in tanks for five to nine months before coming to market. While 5 to nine months may not seem like a long time, it so happens that it's just enough time to take the grapey newborn edginess off the wine and allows it to emit a more fruity, flowery and spicey flavor.
Beaujolais is both the name of the place and the wine where it's produced. The vineyards of Beaujolias extend north to south for some-odd 35 miles over low granite hills in the southernmost reaches of Burgundy, France.
Beaujolais is considered to be part of Burgundy even though, aside from the proximity, the 2 regions have virtually nothing in common. For one example, the climates are dissimilar; the grapes are unmistakeably different; the way the wines are made varies radically.
Even the imbodiment of each wine is unique in and of itself. Beaujolais is as playful as Burgundy is a stalward.
One large misconception with regard to Beaujolais is that it's a annual wine experience, typically drunk in the late fall months, when signs in savvy restaurants and cute little wine shops go up en mass.
As far as Beaujolias go, there is a distinction between what is commercial and what might be called "old-style" Beaujolais is important for anyone who truly cares about flavor.
By comparison, "old-style" Beaujolais is made by a very small percentage of growers, who are often considered fanatics. These traditional growers keep yields 20% to 30% below the amount allowed for production. They do not chaptalize, they filiter lightly, if at all, and hold the wine up to ten months, bottling it as an estate wine. Traditionally made Beaujolais wines age the best and often take on an earthy, pinot noir-like characteristic as they get older
How can you tell traditionally made Beaujolias from commercially made Beaujolais? There really is no foolproof way; however, traditionally made Beaujolais most often cost more, is generally bottled by an individual estate, and is usually imported into the United States by a handful of select importers who specialize in small estates.
Select importers who specialize in top-notch, "old-style" Beaujolais include Alain Jugenet, Kermit Lynch, Louis/Dressner, Martine's Wines and Weygandt-Metzler.
The basic varieties are labeled very simply Beaujolais. This particular grape comes from mainly less distinguished vineyards in the south. While the soil there is much more fertile, the land is a lot more flat. As a result, the wines tend to be lighter, with less of a concentration in fruit flavors, but, there are some notable exceptions.
Beaujolais-Villages, is a smidgen better in quality, it comes from thirty-nine villages in the hilly midsection of the region. The soil here is a bit poorer, mostly composed of granite and sand, forcing the vines to struggle more and ultimately yields better grapes. Beaujolais-Villages wines are generally a blend of grapes of wines from several villages.
Even better still is the Beaujolais Cru. In Beaujolais the actual word Cru does not indicate a vineyard as it does in other regions of France, but, instead, refers to 10 specialized villages. Beaujolais Cru wines come from these specialized villages, all of which are located on tall granite hills in the northern most part of Beaujolais.
Should anyone drink Beaujolais chilled? oh yes, chill it. When Beaujolais is served cool but not cold to the touch, after about fifteen minutes in your wine refrigerator, its flavor simply exploded with fruits and spices. Chilling the wine, by the way, is customary in the region.
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Want to find out more about Beaujolais Winesand Beaujolais Cru, then visit Marc Mansco's site on how to choose the best Beaujolais Wines for all your wine needs.
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