TN: 2018 Beaujolais (Dec 3, 2019)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jay, Sasha+Delia, Cliff, Brad, Jeff C, Brent, Suzanne+Kenny, Jeff G

Brad, like a lot of folks, is excited about 2018 Beaujolais. A rather matter-of-fact report at BBR says the weather was grey and awful until June 20 when suddenly it was not... and it remained warm and sunny right through to harvest. That may sound like a promise of fat, blowsy wines (2015, anyone?) but the wines are merely big, not jumbo, and are still at least a little fresh.

They say.

So, Brad gathered a robust bonkers adept herd flock group of NYC geeks to pull corks and check them out. Brad's opinion is already well-known... Brad has a sweet tooth. Some other opinions are also offered before the first cork is pulled... Sasha commented that an overcooked pecan pie would match the wines very well.

Be that as it may, Brad graciously makes roast chicken, risotto, and cauliflower while guests bring bread, cheese, and charcuterie. We are without chives but, anyway, we dive in:

Dom. des Terres Dorees (J.P. Brun) 2018 Beaujolais Blanc - joyful, just nicely unripe, a bit of Pezzy handkerchief, straightforward and yummy, everybody likes this one

Dom. des Terres Dorees (J.P. Brun) 2018 Beaujolais Rouge "l'Ancien" - straw/blackberry, dirt, and irises (practically geranium), middleweight though I think it's really the bitterness pretending to be extra weight, OK but don't need a second glass of this

Ducroux 2018 VdF "Prologue" - formerly a Beaujolais Nouveau bottling(!), "crunchy, black, smoked fruit" -Sasha, graceful and delicate, 11.5%, you'll quaff and you'll like it

Ducroux 2018 VdF "Exspectatia" - formerly Regnie, Sasha says it's 11% but the label says 13.5%, this is the Prologue-plus: more dark earth, more rough and tumble, fuller in every dimension, very good but others like it more than I do

Dom. des Terres Dorees (J.P. Brun) 2018 Cote de Brouilly - arriving with the midpalate is a noticeable (and off-putting) whiff of lactic, this disappears well before the finish ends but it's still disconcerting; anyway, as you might expect there is lots of material and lots of thrust here, definitely needs a few years to sort itself out

Lapalu 2018 Brouilly "Cuvee des Fous" - manly, tannic, vigorously blue-fruited (almost like syrah), not sure if there are supposed to be any nasal flowers here but, anyway, yum

Lapalu 2018 Brouilly "La Croix des Rameaux" - on the other hand, I've lost my patience with bretty wines and this is one, meh

Clos de la Roilette (Coudert) 2018 Fleurie "Cuvee Tardive" - this time the whiff of lactic is right up front (and even briefer), anyway, this is clearly Brad's wine: full-force, fruity and vigorous, a man of action, should keep well for years to come

Dom. Chamonard 2018 Fleurie "La Madone" - a little soft, "Aren't they all?" -Sasha, and though quiet this is really pretty, noticeably mineral

Dom. de la Grand'Cour (Dutraive) 2018 Fleurie "Clos de la Grand Cour" - noticeably acidic, unlike anything else on the table; transparent and suave, not so tannic but the tannins are emphasized; the feeling in my throat reminds me of William's chenin from last week

Grosjean Freres 2018 Vallee d'Aoste Gamay - broad and easy-going compared to all these tense French poodles, very full retro-nasally and very persistent

Marcel Lapierre 2018 Morgon (sans soufre) - "M18TRN 10/04/19", a social-climbing wine... this wants very much to be treated as Burgundy!, it is quite full on the mid-palate and we are all very pleasantly surprised how good it is (the rumor that Lapierre jumped the shark is not supported by this bottle)

Ch. de Grand Pre (Romain Zordan) 2018 Fleurie "Cuvee Spatiale" - "tastes like it was made under carbonic maceration and some VA" -Jeff C; this is cloudy and spritzy, not bad though a bit of tin can in the finish, very few approving nods

Daniel Bouland 2018 Morgon "Les Delys" - Clash of the "Oy, I told ya"s... Jay loved it, Sasha dismissed it; the wine is tannic now, no florals and no pretty face, but the intrinsic balance is good, tannins don't bother me, and I think there's a lot of promise here

Mystery Wine - I brought it because I recall the 2016 of this wine being rather light and even playful; alas, this 2018 is inky and heavy and structured, the finish is decent but nobody is fooled: Combel La Serre 2018 Cahors "Pur Fruit du Causse"

Dom. des Billards 2018 Saint-Amour - big wine with good flavors, very full aromas and mouthfeel (thanks to their use of submerged cap?!), glad to end on something I like

In the end? Well, as a set, they're reliably big wines, mostly fresh, useful at the table. But looking for individual character and yum-factor, at this point in their evolutions, not many stand out: Lapalu "Fou", Lapierre, Billards, maybe add Roilette. Time will tell on the rest.
 
I love Brun’s Beaujolais blanc. A local wine shop always has some in stock. One of the few non sparkling Chardonnay wines my wife likes as well. Thanks for the report, I’ll try a few of the ‘18s Beaujolais but it doesn’t sound like my favorite kind of vintage. I’m looking forward to trying some of the Loire reds in 2018 though. I drank a bottle of Pinon’s rose sparkler from ‘18 and it was a pretty mix of chalky minerals and red fruit that I liked.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
I love Brun’s Beaujolais blanc. A local wine shop always has some in stock. One of the few non sparkling Chardonnay wines my wife likes as well. Thanks for the report, I’ll try a few of the ‘18s Beaujolais but it doesn’t sound like my favorite kind of vintage. I’m looking forward to trying some of the Loire reds in 2018 though. I drank a bottle of Pinon’s rose sparkler from ‘18 and it was a pretty mix of chalky minerals and red fruit that I liked.
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That Pinon petnat is fun. Started Thanksgiving with it this year.
 
A fun and informative tasting and I definitely think I enjoyed the wines more than you did. If one is partial to crunchy, lithe gamay with citrusy acidity, this is clearly not a vintage for you. I, however, like fruit and while there's plenty to be found in '18s, I also think there's good structure here that will start to show itself more once the baby fat sheds. In comparison to other warm vintages, I find them better balanced and more enjoyable than the '05s, '09s and '15s.

There were five real standouts, though the only wine I didn't really care for was the Brun Cote de Brouilly. I didn't get the lactic note you did from the Coudert and found it just a stunning wine and, as I've said before, the best one he's made. The Bouland may have been my wine of the night. Incredible depth and richness, with the structure to age awhile. Very Burgundian. The Lapierre Sans Soufres was much better than the regular bottling that I own. To be honest, the first bottle of the regular that I've had was disappointing given the vintage. The Billards Saint-Amour and Ducroux Prologue were also terrific.

Here's a pic of the lineup.

2018_Beaujolais-a-thon_2-1.jpg
 
I've been consistently impressed by Bouland. He's up there with Roilette and Desvignes to my palate. And Billards is often so nice. We rarely see it on the West Coast, which is a bummer.
 
originally posted by Jim Hanlon:
I've been consistently impressed by Bouland. He's up there with Roilette and Desvignes to my palate. And Billards is often so nice. We rarely see it on the West Coast, which is a bummer.
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I have been bowled over by how well a couple vintages of Bouland Delys have aged. At least as impressive as anyone else one could name.
 
In general I wasn't that impressed but a few stood out from the pack for me. The Exspectatia and Chamonard were my favorites closely followed by the Roilette and the Bouland.

And can someone please explain to me why this was the first Brun Beaujolais Blanc I've bought in over a decade? I'm really hoping there's a reason other than sheer stupidity.
 
Coudert and Chamonard, perhaps my favorites at this event, made it into the doggie bag and were tasted again the following evening. Both revealed harsh, underripe, stressfully invasive tannins that I did not pick up on the first night. This is particularly odd in the case of Chamonard which originally stood out in the crowd for its dry extract that bridged all sorts of gaps introduced by this relatively soft vintage.

Retracing my steps, it's possible that 2018s in Beaujolais represent an exaggerated version of what I heard in almost every cellar in Burgundy last month, i.e. a compromise between (i) picking early to get fresher fruit with acceptable abv but likely underripe tannins and (ii) picking later with mellowed tannins and out-of-control sugars or, worse, shriveled grapes. And that on the first night I instinctively and unsurprisingly went for (i), particularly given alcohol levels on wines such as JPB CdB and the Billards. But this is speculation; have not done my homework.

Regardless, it sounds like some of you are enjoying these wines. I say, drink up.
 
I really appreciate all the discussion here. Thanks for setting up this tasting, Brad. If ever a vintage sounded like one to give a pass, this is it.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
Thankful for this threadI really appreciate all the discussion here. Thanks for setting up this tasting, Brad. If ever a vintage sounded like one to give a pass, this is it.

Mark Lipton
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Try some bottles and make up your mind that way. I've already bought four cases, which is a lot of gamay for me.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:

And can someone please explain to me why this was the first Brun Beaujolais Blanc I've bought in over a decade? I'm really hoping there's a reason other than sheer stupidity.
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Too much good wine in the world?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jay Miller:

And can someone please explain to me why this was the first Brun Beaujolais Blanc I've bought in over a decade? I'm really hoping there's a reason other than sheer stupidity.
Click to expand...

Too much good wine in the world?
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Recurring seasonal psychosis(*) that affects many of us, and tricks us into thinking that good, textured Chardonnay has adequate substitutes on the carte des vins that's attached to our kitchens.

(*) frequently misdiagnosed by health professionals as an autoimmune reaction to premox and market prices
 
originally posted by Brian C:
originally posted by Marc D:
I love Brun’s Beaujolais blanc. A local wine shop always has some in stock. One of the few non sparkling Chardonnay wines my wife likes as well. Thanks for the report, I’ll try a few of the ‘18s Beaujolais but it doesn’t sound like my favorite kind of vintage. I’m looking forward to trying some of the Loire reds in 2018 though. I drank a bottle of Pinon’s rose sparkler from ‘18 and it was a pretty mix of chalky minerals and red fruit that I liked.
Click to expand...
That Pinon petnat is fun. Started Thanksgiving with it this year.
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Hey man, love to see your name here. I happened to grab a bottle of that off Vif's shelf last week, not opened yet.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
I love Brun’s Beaujolais blanc. A local wine shop always has some in stock. One of the few non sparkling Chardonnay wines my wife likes as well. Thanks for the report, I’ll try a few of the ‘18s Beaujolais but it doesn’t sound like my favorite kind of vintage. I’m looking forward to trying some of the Loire reds in 2018 though. I drank a bottle of Pinon’s rose sparkler from ‘18 and it was a pretty mix of chalky minerals and red fruit that I liked.
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Marc D! Yeah, Jean Paul's BB is so great! It's an old friend. Opening one tonite!!
 
On Saturday we opened the 2018 Roilette Fleurie and the ‘18 Roilette Cuvée Tardive to see how our palates matched up with our East Coast brethren. They are both fruit forward, and soft would be a fair and accurate description. The regular cuvée seems a bit lighter and maybe more balanced for drinking now. The cuvée Tardive has dense concentration of blue black fruit and I think I did notice some underripe tannin even on day one. I thought the regular Fleurie had a marked lactic nose but a nice balance of Gamay fruit without the density of the Tardive and should be fine for short term drinking. Not sure about the Tardive.

Last night we opened 2014 G Descombes Morgon Vielles Vignes which is the polar opposite Beaujolais compared to the 2018 Roilette. Crunchy bright red fruits and acidity galore. It’s not the right time to open this, it’s almost too tart. But a relief nonetheless after the soft blue fruited 18s.
 
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