Any BWE love for Beaujolais?

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 8:20 pm

As my AFWE cred deepens, I’ve become more enamored with Loire reds (always loved the whites) and Beaujolais even more so. It took the right vintage (2015 and 2016), but I finally saw the light on Thivin Brouilly — now I’m quite taken with it. Then a local wine buddy started opening some Côte du Py from Lapierre and Folliard that I really liked.

I’d like to try more, so what do you guys like in Gamay? Is there such a thing as modern or spoofulated Beaujolais (to avoid)?

One estate that has caught my eye but I’ve yet to try is Coudert 'Clos de la Roilette' Fleurie, especially their Cuvee Tardive (William Kelly gives the 2018 95 pts, so that doesn’t hurt). Info on this one?

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 9:12 pm

I’m also a fan of the Thivin Brouilly. There are many pretty good Beaujolais in the $15 to $25 price range but not willing to buy anything much above that. Not a fan of Beaujolais Nouveau.

Chris Bublitz

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 9:26 pm

Pat I think you know from the other Board that I am a big fan of Beaujolais. If you enjoy drinking honest and transparent wines mid-week, with a nice dinner, without either over-powering the food or breaking the bank, Beaujolais is one of the biggest winners in the world of wine. And let’s not kid ourselves, some are very age-worthy Vin de Garde. I drink them weekly and I mature them as well. Many are so damn good baby fresh or with time. That’s unique in wine.

Here are my thoughts:

Thivin. Best of class. A meaty, full-bodied wine. The basic CdB is a perennial buy for me, and I also buy some of the single-vineyard offerings, which only now are being brought to the US. I think Thivin is the most consistent, best value wine made in the world. Not hyperbole.

Roilette. Another best of class. The Cuvee Tardive is the old vine. Always worth the few extra bucks over the base wine. The Griffe du Marquis is a luxury cuvee, sees used burg barrels. These are some of the longest living Beaujolais made and really do need time. Another meaty style of wine. I buy these every year.

Foillard. Also best of class, all of the cuvees are excellent. More floral and aromatic in style, and quite complex. The Foillard 3.14 arguably is the best Bojo made on the planet and competes as one of the finest wines made, period. It’s also exceedingly hard to find and costs about $125.

Lapierre. The famous Morgan. For many, this is the best Bojo. I put it behind the other big three. The Sans Soufre bottling, if you can find it, can be sensational.

Metras. The geeky upstart. An iconoclastic wine. Distinct, like the Levet of Bojo. Not for everyone. Seemingly light, with crunchy red fruits and citrus, but is quite complex. The Ultime, if you can find it, is ethereal. I just posted a note on WB on the 2014 Ultime.

Bouland. The up-and-comer. All the cuvees are really good. I buy lots of Bouland. The Delys cuvee, made from 1916 plantings, competes with the best the region offers. William Kelley is often 95-96 points on this cuvee. I think 2014-17 are exceptional while I found 2018 too ripe. Watch William’s video tasting posted on WB.com.

Vissoux. Mr reliable. Always produces solid wines at great prices.

Dejournaries. Big brooding wines. William Kelly loves these as well. The 2018 Morgon is a beast.

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 9:31 pm

Lapierre, Foillard, Roilette and Thivin. I love them but I have never tried an aged one; 3 yr old tops.

I usually buy 2-3 bottles and they are consumed quickly, then I buy 2-3 bottles and so on and so on...

I agree that the Sans Souffre from Lapierre is a step up.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 10:03 pm

Thanks, gents. Just what I was looking for.

Looks like Crush has a bunch of these, including a number of the special cuvées (which I’ve yet to try) from Thivin for ~$30.

If I like the Thivin Brouilly classique, is it safe to assume I’ll like Roilette too?

jal · Post by **jal** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 10:14 pm

You will
But I will just say that I noticed no huge difference between the regular and the Cuvée Tardive. Granted I didn't drink them side by side but I did buy 3 of each last year.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 11:06 pm

Yes, Pat. Get them both.

Crush has some of the single vineyard cuvees of Thivin. Worth a grab. The 2017 Cuvee Zaccharie is amazeballs!

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sun Apr 12, 2020 11:13 pm

I like Bojo too and drink it in a quaffing way. I don't usually comment on them here though, just throwing the TN's into whatever consolidated vintage bojo thread is running on WB.

Just picked up a Burgaud Regnie last week. This is the time of year when these fresher, less/no tannin wines start to get consumed more here.

I know Rimmerman is controversial, but in general I find his sensibility in Beaujolais lines up with my preferences, so I usually go with a few from his direct emails every year. I can't think of one that has outright disappointed, versus picking on my own at K&L which is more dicey.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 12:22 am

All the ones cited are top.
Louis Claude Desvignes is great too.

Nic

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:17 am

Nicklasss wrote:All the ones cited are top.
Louis Claude Desvignes is great too.

Nic

Good to know, Nic. Are you a big fan too? Do cellar any bojo or just drink em up shortly after purchase? Age worthy Beaujolais used to be an oxymoron at least in conventional wine circles.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:13 am

The only limiter I find with Beaujolais, is who to drink them with.

I have a passion for them, but hardly anyone i know appreciates them the same way. My wine circles are more Bordeaux, Rhone and Italian. My wife and family aren’t big on them, either. So, I tend to drink them alone. I wish I could buy them all in 375.

I slipped a magnum of Roilette Griffe du Marquis in the line-up for last Thanksgiving, and nobody said a word about it. Well, they did comment how beautiful the bottle was! I have quite a few mags across multiple vintages. I’m just gonna age the crap out of them, and have a Bojo night for fans!

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:22 pm

I love Beaujolais. Yes!!!

There are different kinds...

The nouveau is OK, I won't badmouth it, but there's a lot of so-so stuff alongside the fun and terribly fruity stuff.

I am a huge fan of good cru Beaujolais and don't drink it nearly enough.
With the price of Burgundy going through the roof, there is a trend among producers in the Cöte d'Or to buy land in the Beaujolais;
Some of their wines are really very good.

The top of the pyramid, let's say a really good Moulin-à-Vent, can age a long time and then tastes very much like a Burgundy, even if it is made with Gamay grapes.

Alex R.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:29 pm

I don’t drink a lot of Beaujolais but I like it when the candied Gamay character takes a back seat. Like Grenache/CdP, Gamay can easily get sickly sweet. Unlike CdP, sometimes the candied sweetness is present without flabbiness or excessive bigness, but it’s still not appealing.

The names above manage to avoid that. Couple of other producers to try - Jean-Paul Brun (Terres Dorées) and Jean-Paul Thevenet.

I’ve liked the Terres Dorées Moulin à Vent and Fleurie.

Thevenet's Morgon VV has been excellent some years but the 2017 had a weird mix of excessively candied Gamay and too much acid. Haven’t bought since. Curious if anyone has experience with more recent vintages.

Beaujolais Nouveau? I’d rather drink Yellowtail.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:17 pm

Blanquito wrote:
Nicklasss wrote:All the ones cited are top.
Louis Claude Desvignes is great too.

Nic
Good to know, Nic. Are you a big fan too? Do cellar any bojo or just drink em up shortly after purchase? Age worthy Beaujolais used to be an oxymoron at least in conventional wine circles.

I drink my Bojo in the first 3 years.

In 2019, it was my last purchase of Bojo Nouveau for a long time.

The latest vintage of Momessin Bojo (Saint-Amour, Côtes-de-Brouilly) bottling are quite good too.

Missing a bit of heat and sun here to drink Bojo outside... but it will come.

Nic

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:52 pm

Went with the 2018 Clos de la Roilette tonight. Had to check it out after a 2018 Bouland Delys two weeks ago that was too ripe for my palate, and a Desjournaries Morgon last week that was another bruiser but not OTT. The 2018 Beaujolais is a ripe vintage, it’s a big one, as far as Beaujolais goes. This Roilette is clearly the product of a ripe year as well, but pulls it off deftly. A broad range of dark fruits, rich tilled soil, black pepper, and some chalky minerality. Seems to have a slightly bitter stemmy note, but I frankly do not know whether Roilette does whole cluster. Whatever it is, it cuts some of the ripeness with cold steel. This Roilette works. I like 2014 and 2016 better, but this paired perfectly with grilled steak. A very full-bodied, layered Beaujolais. This vintage of Roilette could be a gateway drug for those seeking to try Beaujolais. (92 pts.)

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:07 am

Wonderful note, Robert. Now I really want to try Roilette!

I popped a 2016 Thivin Reverdon last night as part of my research. Honestly, while pretty good, this seems like it could use a few years to come together, as it is really grapey right now (with some of that Gamay candy David referred to above). Currently it is juicy, fresh, clean, straightforward; I definitely prefer the straight up Brouilly bottling.

jckba · Post by **jckba** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:38 am

I curated a fun tasting of 12 2017 Cru Beaujolais for my 3rd Tuesday of the month blind wine group about a year ago when that was still the current vintage and I would be remiss to not mention that the Domaine des Billards Saint Amour (Barbet) was the stand out winner that night so Patrick, I’d tack one of those onto your next order. And I would second the list that Orlandobobby put together above.

: 2017 Cru Bojo blind; 87DB0247-0B1A-4172-AFC7-A49514A0F954.jpeg (75.83 KiB) Viewed 1976 times

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 10:14 am

jckba wrote:I curated a fun tasting of 12 2017 Cru Beaujolais for my 3rd Tuesday of the month blind wine group about a year ago when that was still the current vintage and I would be remiss to not mention that the Domaine des Billards Saint Amour (Barbet) was the stand out winner that night so Patrick, I’d tack one of those onto your next order. And I would second the list that Orlandobobby put together above.

Cool, not tried this one before. Will seek it out.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:17 pm

Thanks for the tip, JC. I'll hunt one down.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:12 am

UPDATE 2016 Thivin Reverdon: OMG, this is awesome now! I froze 3/4 of the bottle for a few days, and this has been transformed. The grapey note is gone, and has been transformed into lovely savory, herbaceous and saison scents accented with an amazing topnote of fresh strawberries. Seems like there could be some stem inclusion here, which I applaud. The palate is satisfying with enough richness and body for a bordeaux lover. I am enchanted.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 6:38 pm

Just grabbed 3 of this from Crush NYC.

2017 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis

Strongly recommended.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:31 pm

OrlandoRobert wrote:Just grabbed 3 of this from Crush NYC.

2017 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis

Strongly recommended.

I'm gonna put together a mixed case of bojo from Crush. I see they have both the '16 and '17 Griffe du Marquis. You prefer the '17, ORobert? Or should I grab one of each vintage?

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:47 pm

Definitely both.

What else are you looking at?

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:54 pm

2016 Metras Madame Germaine
2016 Roilette Griffe du Marquis
2017 Roilette Cuvee Tardive
2017 Roilette Griffe du Marquis
2017 Thivin Griottes
2017 Thivin La Chapelle
2017 Thivin Bertrand

I know I like 2016 Beaujolais, how does 2017 compare?

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:02 pm

I was gonna say get the Thivin cuvees, cool.

I prefer 2016 but 2017 is very very good. Riper. And unlike Bordeaux, that is not necessarily a bad thing!

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:45 pm

Can you folks identify the differences between the various cru? I can't but I haven't really put my mind to it, and I've never done anything like jckba's curated/bojo specific type of panel. I hardly ever knew anyone who would admit to even drinking the stuff!

My one Frenchy/American friend who loved the stuff was the kind of guy who'd rent a hotel room to have a Fall bojo guzzlefest every year, back before hotels were stricter about deposits being on credit cards rather than prepaid vouchers. He would cram in a ton of people, ten cases of nouveau, and they would destroy the room.

He wasn't into the cru stuff, and he made like an 8 figure income.

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:20 am

At a guys wine night with Bobby...a line up of wine that consisted of top Napa, Bordeaux and others...it was the $35 2013 (I believe) Foillard Morgon Cote du Puy that was my WOTN. Stunning stuff, I was tasting flavors that I couldn't even describe.

Bobby has pulled out some geeky bojo on me in the past...like the cult Foillard 3.14.

Claret · Post by **Claret** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:56 pm

I like Beaujolais on occasion but do not cellar much of it. Last night with turkey chili was 2016 Louis Tete Morgon. A nice Gamay.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 3:15 pm

robert goulet wrote:At a guys wine night with Bobby...a line up of wine that consisted of top Napa, Bordeaux and others...it was the $35 2013 (I believe) Foillard Morgon Cote du Puy that was my WOTN. Stunning stuff, I was tasting flavors that I couldn't even describe.

Bobby has pulled out some geeky bojo on me in the past...like the cult Foillard 3.14.

Marc was that the night Roy brought the 100-point Harlan and you and I gagged?

The d’Armailhacs showed really well that night, too.

And the 2005 Haut Brion was corked, ugh!

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:09 pm

I’m gonna buy a mixed case of 16 and 17 Beaujolais, and hold a post-quarantine wine party where we drink through these to see which ones really appeal. My hunch is we’ll love them all.

OrlandoRobert · Post by **OrlandoRobert** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:45 pm

Blanquito wrote:I’m gonna buy a mixed case of 16 and 17 Beaujolais, and hold a post-quarantine wine party where we drink through these to see which ones really appeal. My hunch is we’ll love them all.

When you get them, let’s see what overlap we have and we can pop one or two the same night.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 9:19 pm

robert goulet wrote:At a guys wine night with Bobby...a line up of wine that consisted of top Napa, Bordeaux and others...it was the $35 2013 (I believe) Foillard Morgon Cote du Puy that was my WOTN. Stunning stuff, I was tasting flavors that I couldn't even describe.

Bobby has pulled out some geeky bojo on me in the past...like the cult Foillard 3.14.

Like you Robert, one of my top wine experience has been with a Foillard Côte du Py. I can't remember the vintage, but it was during a Bourgogne tasting with some high stuff like Chambertin, but my favorite that night was the Morgon!

Nic

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 11:07 pm

OrlandoRobert wrote:
robert goulet wrote:At a guys wine night with Bobby...a line up of wine that consisted of top Napa, Bordeaux and others...it was the $35 2013 (I believe) Foillard Morgon Cote du Puy that was my WOTN. Stunning stuff, I was tasting flavors that I couldn't even describe.

Bobby has pulled out some geeky bojo on me in the past...like the cult Foillard 3.14.
Marc was that the night Roy brought the 100-point Harlan and you and I gagged?

The d’Armailhacs showed really well that night, too.

And the 2005 Haut Brion was corked, ugh!

Yep...the Harlan ('02?) was in the line up....its just not a great wine by any means.

robert goulet · Post by **robert goulet** » Sun Apr 19, 2020 11:08 pm

Nicklasss wrote:
robert goulet wrote:At a guys wine night with Bobby...a line up of wine that consisted of top Napa, Bordeaux and others...it was the $35 2013 (I believe) Foillard Morgon Cote du Puy that was my WOTN. Stunning stuff, I was tasting flavors that I couldn't even describe.

Bobby has pulled out some geeky bojo on me in the past...like the cult Foillard 3.14.
Like you Robert, one of my top wine experience has been with a Foillard Côte dy Py. I can't remember the vintage, but it was during a Bourgogne tasting with some high stuff like Chambertin, but my favorite that night was the Morgon!

Nic

Fine palates drink alike!

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:46 am

OrlandoRobert wrote:
Blanquito wrote:I’m gonna buy a mixed case of 16 and 17 Beaujolais, and hold a post-quarantine wine party where we drink through these to see which ones really appeal. My hunch is we’ll love them all.
When you get them, let’s see what overlap we have and we can pop one or two the same night.

Will do, sounds fun.

Not sure when I’ll get these now, I hoped to order last week (fell through) and good shipping weather looks like it’s over until November (gonna hit 90F in Sacramento and Napa next week).

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 9:13 pm

Thanks all I purchased a case of Chateau Thivin Cote De Brouilly Les sept vignes 2018...I paid £17.67 a bottle or $23.50 per bottle all in. I suspect this will drink well for quite a few more years and it is a refreshing change in direction. I think this wine’s main strength is in its versatility with food. You drink at 15-16C or about 60F so keep it in the fridge and it drinks equally well with sea bass or spaghetti bolognese and pretty much everything in between. It is a lovely vibrant wine but at the same time you cannot drink more than 2-3 glasses on its own. A great midweek wine, you keep it in the fridge and it takes about three days to drink it.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Tue Dec 01, 2020 9:30 pm

Comte Flaneur wrote:Thanks all I purchased a case of Chateau Thivin Cote De Brouilly Les sept vignes 2018...I paid £17.67 a bottle or $23.50 per bottle all in. I suspect this will drink well for quite a few more years and it is a refreshing change in direction. I think this wine’s main strength is in its versatility with food. You drink at 15-16C or about 60F so keep it in the fridge and it drinks equally well with sea bass or spaghetti bolognese and pretty much everything in between. It is a lovely vibrant wine but at the same time you cannot drink more than 2-3 glasses on its own. A great midweek wine, you keep it in the fridge and it takes about three days to drink it.

Totally agreed, they are very 'diversifying' to Bordeaux!

I had a lovely 18 des Tours [Brouilly] over a few days last week.

These are easy going, and don't have the heft/tannic that the regions I normally favor have.

Winona Chief · Post by **Winona Chief** » Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:59 am

We had a 2015 Thivin Cote de Brouilly about 10 days ago. It was really wonderful and at about $25 great Q/P ratio. We drink Beaujolais only a couple times a year but always enjoy the quality stuff in the $18 to $30 price range. On the other hand, I detest Beaujolais Nouveau.

Chris Bublitz

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 8:30 pm

Per William Kelly, it looks like Brouilly and Cote de Brouilly are separate appellations in Beaujolais:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/vi ... 1&t=175469

Given that, the Reverdon Brouilly bottling from Thivin I posted on here is actually a separate wine from the more wide-spread (in the USA at least, thanks to Kermit Lynch) Thivin Cote du Brouilly.