It's been two years since I "met" Beaujolais...

[greatbxfreak]

In August 2021, " robertgoulet " encouraged me to try wines from Chateau Thivin in Cote de Brouilly. It turned out to be a great experience, and I started to taste more wines, mostly Morgon and Fleurie producers. It's been an exciting and fun ride. Last Saturday, I organized a tasting of 16 wines from Beaujolais - please read below and take your time, because the report is very long. I will add pictures of the bottles later.

TASTING OF 16 BEAUJOLAIS CRUS, SATURDAY THE 12TH OF AUGUST 2023 IN COPENHAGEN

All wines were double decanted, poured into a carafe and back into the bottle, and stayed there for 1-1.5 hours. All wines were tasted with labels visible. We were 11 participants.

Last year I tasted 2018 and 2019 vintage from producers listed below, except Yvon Metras, Yann Bertrand, Domaine Anita, and Yohan Lardy. This time it was mostly 2020 vintage to taste. For the sake of comparison, I added wines from highly acclaimed producers mentioned above in vintages 2019, 2020, and 2021 to the tasting below.

FLIGHT 1:

YVON METRAS FLEURIE ”LES PRINTEMPS” 2019
He is one of the most recognized producers of Beaujolais, especially for his Fleurie cuvées which he produces biodynamically. Handpicked grapes, vinified in whole bunches. He uses semi-carbonated maceration at a very low temperature without sulfur, using only native yeasts. Small quantities and huge demand mean that the price of his wines is extremely high. Since 2014, his son Jules has taken over the winemaker's duties.

Sadly, I couldn’t find many positives in this wine. Boring intro; it was flat and lacked complexity, nerve, vigor, and length on the palate. Weak on the nose, light on the palate with just “a couple” of strawberries. It was our tasting's most expensive wine (50 Euros), so we got very little in return. Maybe it is too young to taste now. Big disappointment. 85p.

ALAIN COUDERT FLEURIE CLOS DE LA ROILETTE 2019
Alain Coudert is considered one of the finest producers in Beaujolais. His property, Clos de la Roilette, a hamlet in the village of Fleurie, covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in this Beaujolais Cru. The vineyard is located very close to the border of the Moulin-a-Vent appellation. The soil here is atypically rich in clay (25% in contrast to the rest of the appellation, which is all granite) and manganese. This clay is only found in a radius of 50 hectares, and the result is a more structured wine, somewhere between a "typical" Fleurie (floral and elegant) and a Moulin-à-Vent (structured and muscular).
Alain Coudert vinifies in a more Fleurie style because he wants freshness and fruit. Vinification is the traditional, semi-carbonated Beaujolais style with maturation in large wooden barrels. He makes three cuvees, standard Fleurie, “Vendange Tardive”, and “Griffe de Marquis”. The latter is made from grapes coming from eighty-year-old vines and aged one year in Burgundy oak barrels.

This wine lambasted its competitor in this flight. Fresh. Black cherries, blackberries, and strawberries with milk chocolate, potent, fine complexity, acidity, midpalate, and long finish. Seamless. Great finesse. Creamy finish. Fabulous stuff. 94p.

FLIGHT 2:

YANN BERTRAND (LES BERTRANDS) FLEURIE OLIVIA CUVEE CHAOS 2020
Born in Fleurie, Yann Bertrand never thought he would become a winemaker. He briefly studied commerce at a local university and then traveled around the French Alps for a few years. On his return to Beaujolais, Yann began to learn from the circle of famous producers, including renowned winemakers such as Jean Foillard, Yvon Metras, and Marcel Lapierre.
Domaine Les Bertrands is a 7.5-ha vineyard, mostly in Fleurie and a little in Morgon. The vineyard is packed with old vines – the youngest are 30 years old, and the oldest are 110 years old, planted on extremely fine sandy granite soil. He practices whole bunch fermentation developed in Beaujolais, with no added SO2 and natural yeast. The grapes spend a night in a cold cellar and are fermented using 100% carbonic maceration in large concrete tanks. They stay there for 25 days and mature in small wooden barrels for 7-10 months.

Something was fascinating about this wine. It had a special flavor of dried herbs (thyme was evident) and morello cherries mixed with blueberries, peonies, and rosebush. The palate was elegant with finesse, complex, tasty, and refined. Stylish and superb effort from this emerging star in Fleurie, Yann Bertrand! 93+p.

ALAIN COUDERT FLEURIE CLOS DE LA ROILETTE 2020
Very similar to its one-year older sister or brother, with a bit more complexity and length. It is a bit more bombastic in fruit intensity as well. Still, it’s excellent quality wine here! 94-95p.

FLIGHT 3:

JEAN FOILLARD MORGON COTE DE PUY 2020
Founded in 1981 by Jean and Agnès Foillard. Most of Domaine Jean Foillard's organically grown vineyards are planted on the old volcano, Côte du Py, outside Villié-Morgon village. The vines cover around 14 hectares and range from 10 to 90 years old.
Vinification is traditional, with whole bunch fermentation during 3-4 weeks. No chaptalization is done. The wine is then aged 6-9 months in used oak barrels and bottled without fining or filtration.

It was an excellent Morgon wine with an intense nose of cherries, raspberries, and strawberries mixed with grated chocolate. It possessed grace, vibrancy, fabulous complexity, excellent mid-palate, and a sensually delicate finish. Wow! 95+p.

MEE GODARD MORGON COTE DE PUY 2020
The domain is located in Villié-Morgon. Originally from South Korea, Mee Godard was adopted by a French couple in 1977. After studying biology and biochemistry, she traveled to Oregon for three years. Back in France, she worked in Champagne and Burgundy. In 2013, she bought 5 ha of vines in Morgon from a retired farmer. Today she has 5.4 hectares in Morgon divided between Corcelette, Grand Cras, and Côte de Puy, and 1.1 ha at Moulin-à-Vent. She works according to the principles of organic farming without certification.
The harvest is done by hand, in boxes not to damage the bunches. Most of the crop (70 to 100%) is vinified with whole bunches. Fermentation is carried out at a low temperature, adding yeast if necessary. Aging of 11 to 12 months is carried out in a combination of neutral casks, tuns, and 600 l oak casks. The style here is dark, deep, concentrated, and intense wines with great keeping potential.

This wine matched perfectly the other competitor in the flight, so to say to the last meter. However, the style was different. Mee Godard’s had darker fruit (black cherries and blackberries), a stronger backbone, and more concentration on the palate. This excellent wine can easily be kept for at least ten years and probably even longer. 95p.

FLIGHT 4:

Corcelette is a single vineyard placed at granite hill in the southeastern part of Morgon with sandy soil and old vines.

JEAN FOILLARD MORGON CORCELETTE 2020
This wine was similar to Morgon Cote de Puy on the previous flight, with slightly more elegance and finesse. Superb quality once again. 95p.

MEE GODARD MORGON CORCELETTE 2020
More complete, nuanced, and longer finish here than her Cote de Puy. Plenty of dark cherries and blackberries. 95-96p.

FLIGHT 5:

MEE GODARD MORGON GRAND CRAS 2020
Grand Cras is a parcel located at the foot of the old volcano, Cote de Puy, and the soil here is blue granite.

Once again, we were presented with a stunner wine from this incredibly talented producer. Aromatic black cherries and dried herbs (anis), great intensity on the nose, creamy palate with great complexity, vibrancy, and meaty finish. 96p.

YANN BETRAND (LES BERTRANDS) MORGON BIO DYNAMITE 2020
The grapes come from a tiny plot of 60 years old vines situated right on the border of Fleurie and Morgon with soil composed of granite and clay.
It had a great combination of elegance, finesse, intensity, power, refinement, drive, and a sumptuous finish. Superbly exciting effort. 95p.

FLIGHT 6:

Jean-Marc Burgaud has a diploma in oenology and viticulture and started making wines in 1989. Today he has 19 ha of vines, and Morgon counts for 13 ha of them. He practices full carbonation and whole bunch vinification, including stems. Sulfur is not added during vinification, but a little is added to the wine before bottling. His luxury cuvees, Javernieres and James, are a bargain for the price.

JEAN-MARC BURGAUD MORGON JAVERNIERES 2020
This wine is made from grapes from a small parcel, "Javernieres", on the eastern side of the old inactive volcano Côte de Py, with approximately 55-year-old vines. Usually, only 2-3 casks of this top Beaujolais are produced and aged 12 months in newer French oak casks before bottling.

We had here a wine oozing with sheer class, style, and fabulous craftsmanship. A full-blood Beaujolais with great density and plenty of aromas very reminiscent of young first-class Burgundy wines. Black cherries and blackberries on the nose, great concentration, acidity, minerality, Sophisticated, vibrant, and with great midpalate. It can easily hold for at least 15 years in the cellar. Totally awesome stuff. 96-97p.

JEAN-MARC BURGAUD MORGON JAMES 2020
This wine is made from grapes coming from a minuscule ½-ha parcel on top of the ancient volcano, Côte du Py, where the 55-year-old vines give minerality, intensity, and concentration to the wine. It’s aged for 12 months in newer French oak barrels before bottling. This cuvee is named after Jean-Marc's favorite film with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

Similar to Javernieres with a little more complexity and length. We are talking about “millimeters in difference”. It was as riveting and impressive. Fantastic effort. 97p.

FLIGHT 7:

A cult producer in Odenas, Cote de Brouilly. The soil here is a mixture of stone and clay. Godefroy is a small 0.70-ha plot in the lower part of the Cote de Brouilly. 80-100 year old vines. The Zaccharie bottling is the estate's flagship and comes from the best plots in the vineyards of La Chapelle and Godefroy, located on the mountain of Cote de Brouilly. Fifty-year-old vines. Godefroy and Zaccharie are manually harvested and vinified partly with whole bunches, nine months in French oak. These are highly aromatic, complex, and refined wines that, tasted blind, could be mistaken for a Premier Cru from Cote de Nuits.

THIVIN COTE DE BROUILLY GODEFROY 2020
Very aromatic with black cherries and discrete acidity. Vibrant on the palate with great acidity, complexity, and midpalate. Luscious cherries and raspberries. Seamless and long creamy finish. Very similar to the 2019 version but more polished. Stupendous effort. 96p.

THIVIN COTE DE BROUILLY CUVEE ZACCHARIE 2020
Understandably, there was more intensity and complexity here compared to Godefroy. It’s one of the finest wines from Beaujolais you can get, and it is pretty affordable. 96+p.

FLIGHT 8:

DOMAINE ANITA MOULIN-A-VENT “COEUR DE VIGNERONNE” 2021
Since 2015, Anita Kuhnel, a former cyclist, has produced wines from 6 Beaujolais appellations: Moulin à Vent, Morgon, Chénas, Fleurie, Beaujolais, and Beaujolais-Villages. Her bestseller wine, Coeur de Vigneronne, comes from the village Chenas les Caves, which has granite soil and granitic subsoil with a high amount of manganese. The vineyard has an east-south/east exposure, is cultivated at a high altitude (220 meters), and the vines are, on average, 45 years old.
Vinification is 20% whole clusters and 80% destemmed grapes. Total maceration takes ten days. The wine is aged for 11 months in oak barrels, mainly from Burgundy, and spends five months in the bottle before being released.

This wine was recently rated 100p (!) by Stuart Pigott, who writes about Beaujolais for James Suckling. I couldn’t at all relate to his overly enthusiastic description of it, and I think his perfect rating is imho misplaced. Flowery with roses, OK, weak aromas, no freshness, some complexity, and acidity, but the flavors were artificial, as f.i. bubble gum with banana flavor. Off bottle or too young to taste now?? 87p.

YOHAN LARDY MOULIN-A-VENT (1903) 2021
A young Beaujolais winemaker who owns a few hectares of old Gamay vines, on plots planted in 1911 and 1950 on the heights of Cru Moulin-à-Vent, in the "Les Michelons" climate. The harvest is manual, and the vinification takes place in whole bunches with native yeasts. Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes 1903 comes from Gamay vines planted in 1903 on a micro terroir of 75 acres composed of sand, pink granite, and white quartz. No herbicides or synthetic products are used in cultivating the vineyard. The wine matures for 12 months in large wooden barrels.

This wine was praised a lot by the same Stuart Pigott (see above). However, it crashed during the tasting and was more or less a complete disaster. No freshness and no fruit present, green flavors, and tasted mostly of cucumber peel. How in the world you can’t produce a great wine from such old vines! Absolutely nothing indicated that this wine was from Beaujolais. Off bottle or too young to taste now?? For now, 80p.

FINALE:
Trust your taste, and don’t rely 100% on what wine critics tell you. This is the lesson I got from the tasting above, which was a terrific insight into what Beaujolais Crus can achieve in terms of quality!
It confirmed my personal choice of favorite producers (Jean Foillard, Mee Godard, Alain Coudert, Jean-Marc Burgaud, and Thivin). A new and exciting addition has been the young winemaker Yann Bertrand (Les Bertrands), whose two wines participating in the tasting had a very personal style but were still very Beaujolais.
The 2020 vintage is excellent for Beaujolais, and it rounds up the run of three superb vintages in a row!

A side note. One month ago, I tasted 2022 vintage at a wine merchant in Copenhagen, from Jean-Louis Dutraive, Domaine de La Grand Cour in Fleurie. Among the seven wines tasted, my cherry pick was Grand Cour, Fleurie Lieu-dit Champ*gne 2022. Aromatic with morello cherries, sappy, well-composed with elegance and finesse on the palate, fine acidity, well-structured and delicate finish. 93p. One of the tasters asked him about the longevity of J-L. Dutraive wines, and he responded by taking a 2013 Fleurie Clos de la Grand Cour. Even though this vintage belongs in the category “average” category, it was a delicate, subtle, and elegant wine that kept its stride at the age of 10 years. It tasted very much of strawberries and was quite reminiscent of aged Burgundy. 92p.

[JCNorthway]

Great tasting of wines that we often don't have a lot to choose from (at least where I am in the midwest of the US).

[DavidG]

Quite a string of outstanding wines Izak! Thanks for the report. I’ll have to search for some of these. I’ve had the Coudert Clos de Roillette thanks to Joel and agree it’s excellent.

Odd discordance between you and Piggott on those two wines. I’ve heard the name but am not familiar with his writing or tasting notes. Do you find your palates in agreement on any/some wines? Are all his ratings a Suckling-esque 95 and up?

[greatbxfreak]

Stuart Pigott is English but lives in Germany and writes about German wines.

James Suckling employs him to make travels to Beaujolais and write about wines. He is very fond of Mee Godard's wines and loves Jean-Marc Burgaud's Yes, 95p and up.

It's funny how few wine critics find the time to learn to know Beaujolais. One of the few is Neal Martin (for him, Jean-Marc Burgaud wines are the reference for how high quality you can reach), then Jancis Robinson, Wiliam Kelley (Wine Advocate) and Stuart Pigott.

These two bad bottles were purchased from French wine shops.

[greatbxfreak]

[greatbxfreak]

Continued:

[Nicklasss]

I'm a BWEers, but everybody here know how i love Beaujolais.

Great great great post Izak. I agree wjth you on most producers like Coudert, Thivin, Foillard, Burgaud and Godard. All great producers.

Now, i need to buy Beaujolais...

[jckba]

A wonderful cross selection of some of my favorite Cru Bojo producers though Coudert makes additional wines including the entry level Cuvee Christie and also a recently introduced a Moulin a Vent to his lineup.

https://www.bowlerwine.com/producer/clos-de-la-roilette

[DavidG]

Stuart Pigott is English but lives in Germany and writes about German wines.

James Suckling employs him to make travels to Beaujolais and write about wines. He is very fond of Mee Godard's wines and loves Jean-Marc Burgaud's Yes, 95p and up.

It's funny how few wine critics find the time to learn to know Beaujolais. One of the few is Neal Martin (for him Jean-Marc Burgaud wines are the reference for how high quality you can reach), then Jancis Robinson, Wiliam Kehley (Wine Advocate) and Stuart Pigott.

These two bad bottles were purchased from French wine shops.

Thanks for the background. Neal Martin and William Kelly are probably my two favorite critics.

[greatbxfreak]

Thanks guys, for the nice comments.

I still wonder what did happen to the bottles from the eighth flight. Either both wines were transported incorrectly, left in no optimal conditions at the wine store, or not ready to drink. At my place, they were stored in the cellar room in the basement of the house together with other wines who participated in the tasting above. Served at 15-16 degrees C. There was no taste of faulty cork or oxidation. I have one bottle of each left but I will wait 3-4 years to open these. The same applies to this expensive Fleurie from Yvon Metras from the first flight.

I was 100% BWE until August 2021, running circles in the same Bordeaux tastings ring, and I admit I became a bit bored with the same tastes and a large amount of tannin. Luckily enough, a few BWEs, robertgoulet, JoelD, s.d.r and others convinced me to try Beaujolais Crus. I took the challenge to myself and learned a lot. I have recalibrated my tasting senses and fell in love with these wines. The tannin is so well kept in "cotton wool" that is so refreshing. Suddenly I have around 80 bottles of Beaujolais Crus in my cellar! Now I am only 90% BWE'er!

This new acquisition of Alain Coudert's Moulin-A-Vent I will try very soon.

Wine critics - hmm.

For example, Beausejour Duffau Lagarrosse 2020 tasted in February at the chateau in the space of a week. Neal Martin rated it 92p and Jeb Dunnuck 100p. Jeff Leve gave it 97p and "little" me 98+p. William Kelley is very consistent in his ratings. I am more toward Jeff Leve's and Jane Anson's tastes.

[AKR]

I like Bojo but only keep a few bottles around at any given time, since - for my tastes - it does not keep / improve for decades. Last week I had a lovely bottle of JC Lapalu, which was on the lusher/fuller side for the region. For those on the US West Coast, K&L is currently having a promotion on several of Loron's cru bottlings.

[DavidG]

I don’t try to age Beaujolais either, though I don’t worry about it fading away over 5-10 years either. I never feel guilty about pulling a bottle “too soon.”