Beaujolais, produced from Gamay, can vary based on the “Cru” village it is sourced from, producer, and winemaking style. There are 10 Crus in Beaujolais; these are considered the best villages in the appellation. This wine hails from Moulin-à-Vent, which usually produces more structured and long-lived wines. Wines from Beaujolais are typically quite fruity on the nose with notes dominated by wild berries and damp flowers, and in 2020, which was a hot, ripe vintage, the fruit concentration is intense. Although the fruit can have a more candied aroma on occasion, it is balanced with brambly grape stems, crushed granite and herbs, which display the wine’s Old World roots. Try to find “Cru Beaujolais'' instead of “Beaujolais Nouveau” or “Beaujolais-Villages.” The signature of Beaujolais is usually found in the wine’s combination of granite minerality, soft fruitiness, and herbal complexity, which is combined with typically soft tannins. The best Crus to taste are Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Morgon, Juliénas, and Moulin-à-Vent, and the best examples are rarely over $25-$30. Many people confuse Beaujolais with two wines in exams: Northern Rhône Syrah and Cabernet Franc from Chinon. Northern Rhône Syrah can have a juicy, black fruit note, which is similar to Beaujolais, but Rhône Syrah always possesses notes of olive, meat, and black pepper. Chinon, when made in a riper and sometimes “carbonic” (whole-berry) style, can also display this brambly, wild black fruit, yet it always has a touch of green peppercorns or bell pepper hidden under the fruit. To better your ability to call Gamay correctly, challenge yourself with examples from one of the Crus mentioned above alongside a Northern Rhône Syrah and a Cabernet Franc from Chinon. 

The wine has a highly concentrated dark ruby red core with light purple hues. Concentration of color is high. Viscosity is medium. The wine is clean and well-concentrated, with a high intensity of aromas. The nose offers plush aromas of just black cherry, dark strawberry, black raspberry, cranberry, wild herbs, grape stems, crushed granite and wet wild red and purple flowers.

The wine is dry and the rich fruit is quickly balanced with a dense minerality, along with the fresh acidity. The palate reveals flavors of ripe black cherry, dark raspberry, cranberry, red plum, pomegranate, grape stems, crushed granite and wet flowers.