Beaujolais comparative tasting advice

M

MLipton

Mark Lipton
OK, so in my campaign to educate my palate on all things Gamay before making my own, I have purchased a wide variety of 2021 wines from Beaujolais. Below is a list of my holdings:

Antoine Sunier Regnie
Dom. de Billards Saint-Amour
Chignard Julienas Beauvernay
Desvignes Morgon Corcolette and Jarvenieres
Dupeuble Beaujolais
Foillard Fleurie and Morgon Corcolette
Julien Sunier Wild Soul, Fleurie, Morgon and Regnie
Nicole Chanrion Cote de Brouilly
Brun L'Ancien
Tete Julienas Tradition
Thivin Brouilly "Reverdon" and Cote de Brouilly

So, obviously there are major differences in terroir, but also there are differences in vinification (semi-CM vs Burgundian). How would you worthies suggest grouping them for maximum edification? I don't intend to taste them all at once, or even all within a year, but I'm interested in getting the clearest picture I can in what to expect from a particular approach to the grape.

TIA!
Mark Lipton
 
Hey Mark
We opened the ‘21 Brun L’Ancien and the ‘21 Roilette Fleurie together a few weeks ago and it was very educational to drink them side by side. The semi carbonic whole cluster stem inclusion in the Roilette sure stood out compared to Brun’s wine made with destemmed grapes and Burgundian vinification. I know there’s other big differences between the southern Beaujolais and Fleurie (or more like M-a-V) soil, but with these two young Beaujolais the herbal and wood smoke stem flavors in the Roilette was the most noticeable.

Right now my preference is to drink L’Ancien. There’s a lot going on with the Roilette but it wasn’t all integrated together yet. Both are great and I much preferred these compared to their 2020 versions.

Brun’s 21 Beaujolais blanc is also lovely and still one of the great bargains left.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
Hey Mark
We opened the ‘21 Brun L’Ancien and the ‘21 Roilette Fleurie together a few weeks ago and it was very educational to drink them side by side. The semi carbonic whole cluster stem inclusion in the Roilette sure stood out compared to Brun’s wine made with destemmed grapes and Burgundian vinification. I know there’s other big differences between the southern Beaujolais and Fleurie (or more like M-a-V) soil, but with these two young Beaujolais the herbal and wood smoke stem flavors in the Roilette was the most noticeable.

Right now my preference is to drink L’Ancien. There’s a lot going on with the Roilette but it wasn’t all integrated together yet. Both are great and I much preferred these compared to their 2020 versions.

Brun’s 21 Beaujolais blanc is also lovely and still one of the great bargains left.
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Thanks, Marc. I'll need to make a search for the Roilette. That comparison is quite interesting, though Fleurie is also distinct in character from the Terres d'Orees.

Mark Lipton
 
Very different areas.

My son and his gf were over that night and they are interested in wine. It was pretty interesting when she noticed some of the classic flavors of whole cluster with stems.

I think tasting any of the carbonic fermented Beaujolais next to Brun would be fun.
 
Maybe a start would be to separate the semi-carbonic from the not, because, for me at least, that difference stands out more than differences in terroir, at least in the first several years. So, the first question would be: who else (besides Brun) from that list is also not semi-carbonic? (if I knew I'd insert here)

In my early wine-drinking days I always confused Gamay with semi-carbonic because I only knew semi-carbonic Beaujolais, so I thought the fruitiness and spiciness was a consequence solely of the grape. Then came enlightenment, but I still can't shake off the feeling that non-carbonic Beaujolais, no matter how good, is missing the point. But I have no such expectations from Gamay planted elsewhere, so it's really a matter of what you want from your Gamay. And hopefully that is something more site-specific than attempting to emulate the Bojos you like best.

Btw, Domaine Sérol makes a fine variety of non-carbonic Gamays in the Côte Roannaise that might be a more useful manifestation of what the grape can do in terroirs outside Beaujolais.
 
I think Brun only vinifies the l'Ancien in the Burgundian style, the crus semicarbonicly? Sure tastes that way...going back to the wayback memory machine it seems like he had a ton of concrete vats...certainly tastes that way...one of these (l'Ancien) is not like the others...
 
I see from looking at an interview with Brun that I'm wrong. It feels though that the crus of Brun vs say Jadot or Desvignes are miles apart, even though they are all Burgundian vinification...so something else is at work.

I am not a fan of Jadot, and Desvignes only after it's been aged into submission...I think Brun is totally top flight across the board typically...
 
Julien Guillot’s Vignes du Maynes “Manganite” from the M“con would be a worthy addition from a different terroir. Benchmark gamay for me.
And while we’re outside of Beaujolais I’ve liked Arnot Roberts, Bow & Arrow, and of course Bone Jolly for domestic examples.
 
originally posted by BJ:
I see from looking at an interview with Brun that I'm wrong. It feels though that the crus of Brun vs say Jadot or Desvignes are miles apart, even though they are all Burgundian vinification...so something else is at work.

I am not a fan of Jadot, and Desvignes only after it's been aged into submission...I think Brun is totally top flight across the board typically...
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I think Desvignes is also semi-carbonic. I agree, though, that these wines benefit from age in a way others don't.
 
thivin and chanrion CdB is a tempting pairing, perhaps one to be conducted over 2-3 days, no? unless you are really going for contrast.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Btw, Domaine Sérol makes a fine variety of non-carbonic Gamays in the Côte Roannaise that might be a more useful manifestation of what the grape can do in terroirs outside Beaujolais.
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still on granite though, but more "loire" spiritually (and administratively)
 
I don't know about anyone else, but I just really like Mark's spelling of "poast". It seems like how it should be.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by BJ:
I don't know about anyone else, but I just really like Mark's spelling of "poast". It seems like how it should be.
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Perhaps every post is some kind of knowledge boast.
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I think he's saying that all ideas on posts are poached, a new version of a hot air metaphor.
 
Oh, you wags! Anyone who makes a statement on a bored is perforce poasting, natch.

My current thinking:

Desvignes corcelette with Foillard Corcelette (outstanding question: Desvignes semi-CM or not?)
Tete vs Chignard Julienas
Chanrion vs Thivin Cote de Brouilly (maybe 3 years from now)
Brun L’Ancien vs Dupeuble Beaujolais.

Still figuring out how to fit the others in. Maybe some Sunier on Sunier violence?

Mark Lipton
 
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