Anyone who still thinks the Gamay-based wines of Beaujolais are the poorer “country cousins” to red Burgundies made from Pinot Noir has not been paying attention. Not only is Beaujolais one of the most dynamic wine zones on the planet right now, the style spectrum of the wines, especially in the 10 “cru” villages, is increasingly broad and nuanced.
Today we have a Gamay from the historic Château de la Bottière that not only cedes nothing to Pinot Noir in terms of complexity and perfume but gives a knowing nod to some of the deeper, darker reds of the Northern Rhône, too, as if to say, “Hey, we’re coming for you next!” There’s a lot of juicy meat on the bones of this 2017, but the freshness, aromatic lift, and accessibility that make Cru Beaujolais such a hot ticket are all there. Oh, and there's the affordability factor, too: “Cuvée Vieilles Vignes” makes good on its “old vine” promise in a major way, sourcing this wine from a one-hectare parcel of 100-year-old, bush-trained Gamay—and
still it only costs $34! This is the new normal in Beaujolais: wines that don’t merely over-deliver but challenge (in a good way) everything we thought we knew about this grape and place. Just when I thought Cru Beaujolais couldn’t get any better, producers like Château de la Bottière up the ante a little more!
In an article that appeared in the Fall of 2017, the Decanter magazine columnist Andrew Jefford tasted an array of “superb” Cru Beaujolais wines from the vintage, describing them as “…wines of structure, depth and penetration as well as beguiling fruit: truly wines which could be served on all of the same occasions as any great young Burgundy or Northern Rhône red.”
He went on: “There is a school of aesthetics which declares Beaujolais of this sort to be ‘over-extracted’ and lacking in the delicacy, freshness, smooth succulence and perfumed immediacy which has lain at the core of Beaujolais’ historic appeal, even in the crus. Should, in other words, all Beaujolais look exclusively north for its aesthetic identity, or should it be permitted to look south, too?”
It’s a good question, and, despite some 2,000 years of wine history, one that most producers in Juliénas and the other cru villages are still working through. There isn’t yet as finely delineated a “style guide” to the 10 Cru Beaujolais villages as there is in places like Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits—where each village’s nuances have been parsed and cataloged fanatically for generations—but many expert sources put Juliénas at the plumper, darker end of the spectrum, with a rounder texture than wines from, say, Morgon or Fleurie. Partly sandwiched, in the northern sector, between Chénas and Saint-Amour, Juliénas is quite diverse geologically, although its best vineyards are characterized by bluish stones of schist and decomposed granite. These roches bleues characterize the soils at Château de la Bottière, the historic heart of the Perrachon family’s wide-ranging wine operation in Beaujolais, which extends to Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chenas and Saint-Amour as well.
“Cuvée Vieilles Vignes” comes from that remarkable, granite-rich, century-old plot referenced above. To preserve freshness and bounce, the fruit is partially destemmed and fermented for two weeks, with daily punch downs to maximize flavor. The wine is aged 12 months in French oak
barriques (10% new), followed by a few more months in larger used casks (
foudres) before bottling. Let this profound, multi-dimensional Gamay breathe for 30 minutes and pour into a Burgundy stem, where it shimmers a deep ruby into magenta and purple. The aromas are fruit-driven at first, with a pleasing rush of blackberry, plum, and wild strawberry followed by damp violets, black pepper, star anise, and turned earth. Medium-plus in body, it offers up a rich mid-palate that is beautifully refreshed by the crisp, deeply mineral finish. While deliciously drinkable now, I’m confident it has enough gusto for short-term aging (5-7 years). Like Pinot Noir, Gamay syncs well with a wide array of foods. Due to the generosity of fruit and earth in this Juliénas, you can afford to go a little richer with the food pairing, from a classic coq au vin to something beefier. I think this wine would be killer with barbecue—soft and lush and enveloping should you decide to add some spicy kick. Serve at a cool 60 degrees in Burgundy stems and enjoy!
