Beaujolais is generally thought as a part of Burgundy. A lot of Burgundy wine producers have expanded and incorporated wines from the Beaujolais. Beaujolais wines should stand apart as they have their own identity, and are produced using a completely unique grape - Gamay. Grown on the region�s granite slopes, the Gamay imparts a fresh, unique flavor, specifically fruity yet mineral character to the wines. At the highest quality level, the Beaujolais wine region contains 10 crus - that have the privilege to carry their own appellations on the label: Brouilly, Ch�nas, C�te de Brouilly, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juli�nas, Morgon, Moulin-�-Vent, R�gnie Reviews and St-Amour. One-step underneath is Beaujolais Villages, with Beaujolais itself as the broadest, most generic appellation. Nothing can match Beaujolais Wines� perfumed, natural, juicy and fruity flavors. Beaujolais should be drunk delightfully upon release; indeed, praising the wines� youthful temperance.
Beaujolais- The Region
Located South of Burgundy proper, between M�con and Lyon,�Beaujolais�is a prosperous region. Cultivating almost 55,000 acres, more than the other three departments of Burgundy combined, it produces an average of 15 million cases annually. Best of all, once a year, when the world falls in love with Beaujolais Nouveau, nearly half of this crop is pressed, fermented, racked, fined, filtered and sold within weeks. The rapid cash flow generated is the envy of winemakers everywhere. This 34-mile strip along the Sa�ne River, comprises the 4th department, Rh�ne, of the Burgundy region. Beaujolais is diverse geographically.
From the 16th century onwards, the grape gradually became the dominant crop of the region. This was aided largely by improvements in transportation. As transportation improved the market expanded. For centuries, Lyon was the region�s principle market. A crucial development for the economy was the opening of the Braire Canal to link the Loire and the Seine Rivers. Now Beaujolais was only two or three days journey by wagon to a water route that would take the wine all the way to Paris.
As the market for wines grew, new vineyards were planted away from the small towns and villages, and on better the soils and exposures of the hill slopes. Thus the �soil-zones� of�Beaujolais�were beginning to take shape.
Developing at the same time was a system of viticuture that exists to this day. Unlike Bordeaux, there are no large properties in Beaujolais. The system, called �vigneronnage,� consists of hundreds of small to medium sized properties on which the grapes are grown. Most of these grapes are purchased by N�gociants who make and market the wines.
North of the River Nizerand is Haut-Beaujolais. The hilly topography here has a lighter granite and schist based sandy soil and thus makes a better wine. It is in Haut-Beaujolais that you will find the Beaujolais-Villages appellation and the 10 Beaujolais Crus.
Beaujolais has the warm summers and cool winters indicative of a temperate climate. Snow is common in the winter as a result of its proximity to the Massif Central Mountains to the west. The hills of Beaujolais do provide some protection from the cold and rain generated in these mountains, but in late summer, hail storms are an all too frequent threat to the growers.
The Gamay Grape
Gamay is such a grape that has been here since the 1300s, yet many wine drinkers are not familiar with the name. This is primarily because the most famous wine the grape produces is Beaujolais, the red wine. Gamay as a wonderful little secret for anyone that loves Pinot
Noir, but is seeking an alternative.
Due to the fact that the grapes were both born in the same region of Burgundy, Pinot Noir has always overshadowed the Gamay grape, except in the subregion of Beaujolais. The wine produced from the Gamay grape tends to exhibit characteristics that are very similar to that of Pinot Noir. Gamay is a light-bodied, fruity red with tart flavors of cherries and raspberries and even banana. Gamay is a great red wine to accompany meat and cheese plates as well as salad dishes and even roast chicken and fish.
Gamay reveals its southern roots by the fact that in order for it to ripen properly it needs at least a short spell of real heat, which it usually gets in Beaujolais. Yields can be huge.
n terms of soil, gamay does not do well on sedimentary rock types. Much of Beaujolais is granite with outcrops of schist in part of Morgon or Andesites in the Cote de Brouilly. In the Auvergne, gamay is planted on basalts and in the C�tes Roannaise there is again granite.
Finally, gamay is susceptible to rot and needs constant attention. It usually ripens early but the mistake that many make is to harvest too soon. Beaujolais is a mountainous region with hills rising up to about 1000m. Violent storms are not uncommon and many vineyards have been devastated by hail.
Winemaking
Generally there are two methods of making Beaujolais. The exemplary method is by semi-carbonic maceration in which grapes are fermented completely in a carbon dioxide rich condition. Carbonic maceration ferments with the grape, releasing lots of colors and alluring fruity flavors without tannin. The length of maceration depends on the style of the wine. For nouveau, the time spent in contact with skins is insignificant. There is also an �express� approach to macerate which is by heating the grapes. Thermo-vinification as it is called does the job well, however if it is over used, it will spoil the taste of the final product
Beaujolais is also very capable of making fine wines that can be kept for ageing well. Here winemaking is more conventional: crushing, then maceration with pumping over.
Appellations
Most Beaujolais is sold as Appellation Contr�l�e (though there can be a Vin de Pays called Vin de Pays des Gaules which allows for higher yields and cheaper prices but is rarely used). In total, there are twelve separate appellations.
Beaujolais
Mostly from the south where the soils are often of a limestone called�pierres dor�es, which makes excellent building material. But there are granites as well and a great many styles of wine possible though a major part of the productions continues to be made as Nouveau. About 40 million bottles are produced.
Beaujolais-Villages
It also produces around 40 million bottles. The Villages wines come from the north and are set among the ten crus and planted on the same granitic soils. 38 parishes are allowed to produce Beaujolais-Villages. They offer a midway point between Nouveau and the greater complexity of the crus, and often represent excellent value for money.
Some of the village names to look out for: Vaux en Beaujolais, which Clochemerle was based on, Le Perreon, Ste Etienne des Ouilleres, Lanc�, Lantign�. Villages can come in all colours and styles. The ten cru villages on the other hand only produce red wine which or course has to be made using the gamay grape. Around 50 million bottles can be produced each year but in practice there is rather less as many growers (especially those in less well-known crus such as Ch�nas and Chiroubles) prefer to declassify, in which case they can often sell as AOC Bourgogne rouge.
Each village has a style of its own. From north to south they are:
Saint-Amour
Only 320ha with vineyards that are often interspersed with blocks of chardonnay that makes Macon Villages or St Verand.
The vineyards were once the property of canons belonging to the chapter of Saint-Vincent in M�con. Prior to 1789 the canons held the hardly saintly droit de cuissage as one of their feudal rights which gave rise to the cru�s romantic name.
The wines are generously flavoured, often a little rustic and always need a little more time. A marketing initiative that linked Saint-Amour with Valentine�s Day ensures that this is usually the most expensive of the crus.
Juli�nas
One of the largest crus (600ha), but often plagued by hail storms. Juli�nas, named after Caesar, is on steep slopes of granite or schist, and produces a succulent style of Beaujolais, deply coloured, fleshy and thickly textured.
Generally, wines from Juli�nas are ready early and maybe kept for three or four years. Perfect steak and chips red in my book.
Ch�nas
With only 250ha, this is the smallest of the ten �crus� and the hardest to find. The sad fact is that 85% is sold off as AOC Bourgogne in some years, making it even rarer.
The granite soils used to lie beneath oak forests, hence the name. A good Ch�nas is flavourful and spicy with ability to age, especially in good vintages.
Chenas was hit by hail in 2009 which had an effect on many wines. 2010 is the better vintage.
Moulin-�-Vent:
This 660ha appellation is the grandest of the �crus� that in good vintages may be spoken of in the same breath as other great wines of Burgundy. The soil is the same pink granite as in Fleurie, but with seams of manganese and iron that are said to account for extra colour in the wines.
The wines are fleshy, round and full and always need a year after the harvest. The most structured of the �crus�, Moulin-�-Vent responds well to ageing in oak barrel and is the least Beaujolais-like.
A major study has been conducted into the geology of Moulin-�-Vent with a view to creating a premier cru appellation, which would be a first for Beaujolais. Some of the vineyard names to look out for include les Thorins, Rochegr�s and la Rochelle.
Fleurie
Prettily named, the wines of Fleurie are a delight to the senses: fragrant, floral, silky and charming.
Fleurie comprises 890ha. Vineyards closest to Morgon or Moulin-�-Vent are fuller-flavoured while those around the village itself are often more floral.
Vineyard names or climats are much in use. Some of the best ones are Ponci�, la Roilette, Chapelle des Bois and Clos des Moriers. The best known is probably La Madonne with its little Chapel perched above the village.
Good Fleurie ages quite well but few producers make the effort to make serious wine. The restaurant �le Cep� run by the mildly eccentric Mme Chagny is an excellent place to explore the cru.
Chiroubles
A �mountain wine� made from grapes grown at an average altitude of 1,000 feet. Soils of this 360ha cru are light and made of shallow granitic sands. Some of the vineyards are very steep, more akin to the Rh�ne than Burgundy.
The wines are light, fragrant and delicate, more floral than fruity and should be drunk young, and just on the cool side. Always refreshing and the cru that is readiest soonest.
Morgon
Morgon covers 1100ha. The best soils are of weathered schist on the south-facing slope of the Mont du Py. The gamay here ripens well and produces a wine that is dense, richly flavoured and rewarding.
Good Morgon ages well, up to ten years, and with time develops great complexity. If Moulin a Vent goes Burgundian with age, then there is something definitely Rh�ne-like about Morgon. Always loads of personality and flavour. Again look out for individual climats such as C�te du Py, Les Cras or Les Charmes.
R�gni�
Wines from the �club des crus� most recent member�s 370ha often lack real identity, coming some way in style between Brouilly and Morgon. At their best, they�re full-flavoured, honest wines that go well with food. Always good value.
Brouilly
With 1300ha, this is the largest of the crus. Can usually be relied upon to produce the perfect �bistro Beaujolais� favoured by Parisians to go with their steak-fr�tes; flavoury, sappy, easily forthcoming and good value for money.
Within such a large district, there is room for some variation: Brouilly from the area known as Pisse-Vieille, for example, is softer and rounder.
C�te de Brouilly
Though an enclave of Brouilly, its 310ha makes up what is a quite separate district, planted on the slopes of the remains of an ancient volcano. The soil is quite distinct being of a blue grey andesite. The wines have real bloom, deep purple, aromatic and a piquant, spicy, mineral flavour. The wines keep well too.
Keeping Beaujolais
By and large Beaujolais is meant for drinking young but some do keep. A 1976 Morgon C�te du Py from Trenel was still fabulous four or five years ago. Wines from Moulin � Vent and Ch�nas also keep well as can C�te de Brouilly.
Referred various sources
From the 16th century onwards, the grape gradually became the dominant crop of the region. This was aided largely by improvements in transportation. As transportation improved the market expanded. For centuries, Lyon was the region�s principle market. A crucial development for the economy was the opening of the Braire Canal to link the Loire and the Seine Rivers. Now Beaujolais was only two or three days journey by wagon to a water route that would take the wine all the way to Paris.
As the market for wines grew, new vineyards were planted away from the small towns and villages, and on better the soils and exposures of the hill slopes. Thus the �soil-zones� of�Beaujolais�were beginning to take shape.
Developing at the same time was a system of viticuture that exists to this day. Unlike Bordeaux, there are no large properties in Beaujolais. The system, called �vigneronnage,� consists of hundreds of small to medium sized properties on which the grapes are grown. Most of these grapes are purchased by N�gociants who make and market the wines.
North of the River Nizerand is Haut-Beaujolais. The hilly topography here has a lighter granite and schist based sandy soil and thus makes a better wine. It is in Haut-Beaujolais that you will find the Beaujolais-Villages appellation and the 10 Beaujolais Crus.
Beaujolais has the warm summers and cool winters indicative of a temperate climate. Snow is common in the winter as a result of its proximity to the Massif Central Mountains to the west. The hills of Beaujolais do provide some protection from the cold and rain generated in these mountains, but in late summer, hail storms are an all too frequent threat to the growers.
The Gamay Grape
Gamay is such a grape that has been here since the 1300s, yet many wine drinkers are not familiar with the name. This is primarily because the most famous wine the grape produces is Beaujolais, the red wine. Gamay as a wonderful little secret for anyone that loves Pinot
Noir, but is seeking an alternative.
Due to the fact that the grapes were both born in the same region of Burgundy, Pinot Noir has always overshadowed the Gamay grape, except in the subregion of Beaujolais. The wine produced from the Gamay grape tends to exhibit characteristics that are very similar to that of Pinot Noir. Gamay is a light-bodied, fruity red with tart flavors of cherries and raspberries and even banana. Gamay is a great red wine to accompany meat and cheese plates as well as salad dishes and even roast chicken and fish.
Gamay reveals its southern roots by the fact that in order for it to ripen properly it needs at least a short spell of real heat, which it usually gets in Beaujolais. Yields can be huge.
n terms of soil, gamay does not do well on sedimentary rock types. Much of Beaujolais is granite with outcrops of schist in part of Morgon or Andesites in the Cote de Brouilly. In the Auvergne, gamay is planted on basalts and in the C�tes Roannaise there is again granite.
Finally, gamay is susceptible to rot and needs constant attention. It usually ripens early but the mistake that many make is to harvest too soon. Beaujolais is a mountainous region with hills rising up to about 1000m. Violent storms are not uncommon and many vineyards have been devastated by hail.
Winemaking
Generally there are two methods of making Beaujolais. The exemplary method is by semi-carbonic maceration in which grapes are fermented completely in a carbon dioxide rich condition. Carbonic maceration ferments with the grape, releasing lots of colors and alluring fruity flavors without tannin. The length of maceration depends on the style of the wine. For nouveau, the time spent in contact with skins is insignificant. There is also an �express� approach to macerate which is by heating the grapes. Thermo-vinification as it is called does the job well, however if it is over used, it will spoil the taste of the final product
Beaujolais is also very capable of making fine wines that can be kept for ageing well. Here winemaking is more conventional: crushing, then maceration with pumping over.
Appellations
Most Beaujolais is sold as Appellation Contr�l�e (though there can be a Vin de Pays called Vin de Pays des Gaules which allows for higher yields and cheaper prices but is rarely used). In total, there are twelve separate appellations.
Beaujolais
Mostly from the south where the soils are often of a limestone called�pierres dor�es, which makes excellent building material. But there are granites as well and a great many styles of wine possible though a major part of the productions continues to be made as Nouveau. About 40 million bottles are produced.
Beaujolais-Villages
It also produces around 40 million bottles. The Villages wines come from the north and are set among the ten crus and planted on the same granitic soils. 38 parishes are allowed to produce Beaujolais-Villages. They offer a midway point between Nouveau and the greater complexity of the crus, and often represent excellent value for money.
Some of the village names to look out for: Vaux en Beaujolais, which Clochemerle was based on, Le Perreon, Ste Etienne des Ouilleres, Lanc�, Lantign�. Villages can come in all colours and styles. The ten cru villages on the other hand only produce red wine which or course has to be made using the gamay grape. Around 50 million bottles can be produced each year but in practice there is rather less as many growers (especially those in less well-known crus such as Ch�nas and Chiroubles) prefer to declassify, in which case they can often sell as AOC Bourgogne rouge.
Each village has a style of its own. From north to south they are:
Saint-Amour
Only 320ha with vineyards that are often interspersed with blocks of chardonnay that makes Macon Villages or St Verand.
The vineyards were once the property of canons belonging to the chapter of Saint-Vincent in M�con. Prior to 1789 the canons held the hardly saintly droit de cuissage as one of their feudal rights which gave rise to the cru�s romantic name.
The wines are generously flavoured, often a little rustic and always need a little more time. A marketing initiative that linked Saint-Amour with Valentine�s Day ensures that this is usually the most expensive of the crus.
Juli�nas
One of the largest crus (600ha), but often plagued by hail storms. Juli�nas, named after Caesar, is on steep slopes of granite or schist, and produces a succulent style of Beaujolais, deply coloured, fleshy and thickly textured.
Generally, wines from Juli�nas are ready early and maybe kept for three or four years. Perfect steak and chips red in my book.
Ch�nas
With only 250ha, this is the smallest of the ten �crus� and the hardest to find. The sad fact is that 85% is sold off as AOC Bourgogne in some years, making it even rarer.
The granite soils used to lie beneath oak forests, hence the name. A good Ch�nas is flavourful and spicy with ability to age, especially in good vintages.
Chenas was hit by hail in 2009 which had an effect on many wines. 2010 is the better vintage.
Moulin-�-Vent:
This 660ha appellation is the grandest of the �crus� that in good vintages may be spoken of in the same breath as other great wines of Burgundy. The soil is the same pink granite as in Fleurie, but with seams of manganese and iron that are said to account for extra colour in the wines.
The wines are fleshy, round and full and always need a year after the harvest. The most structured of the �crus�, Moulin-�-Vent responds well to ageing in oak barrel and is the least Beaujolais-like.
A major study has been conducted into the geology of Moulin-�-Vent with a view to creating a premier cru appellation, which would be a first for Beaujolais. Some of the vineyard names to look out for include les Thorins, Rochegr�s and la Rochelle.
Fleurie
Prettily named, the wines of Fleurie are a delight to the senses: fragrant, floral, silky and charming.
Fleurie comprises 890ha. Vineyards closest to Morgon or Moulin-�-Vent are fuller-flavoured while those around the village itself are often more floral.
Vineyard names or climats are much in use. Some of the best ones are Ponci�, la Roilette, Chapelle des Bois and Clos des Moriers. The best known is probably La Madonne with its little Chapel perched above the village.
Good Fleurie ages quite well but few producers make the effort to make serious wine. The restaurant �le Cep� run by the mildly eccentric Mme Chagny is an excellent place to explore the cru.
Chiroubles
A �mountain wine� made from grapes grown at an average altitude of 1,000 feet. Soils of this 360ha cru are light and made of shallow granitic sands. Some of the vineyards are very steep, more akin to the Rh�ne than Burgundy.
The wines are light, fragrant and delicate, more floral than fruity and should be drunk young, and just on the cool side. Always refreshing and the cru that is readiest soonest.
Morgon
Morgon covers 1100ha. The best soils are of weathered schist on the south-facing slope of the Mont du Py. The gamay here ripens well and produces a wine that is dense, richly flavoured and rewarding.
Good Morgon ages well, up to ten years, and with time develops great complexity. If Moulin a Vent goes Burgundian with age, then there is something definitely Rh�ne-like about Morgon. Always loads of personality and flavour. Again look out for individual climats such as C�te du Py, Les Cras or Les Charmes.
R�gni�
Wines from the �club des crus� most recent member�s 370ha often lack real identity, coming some way in style between Brouilly and Morgon. At their best, they�re full-flavoured, honest wines that go well with food. Always good value.
Brouilly
With 1300ha, this is the largest of the crus. Can usually be relied upon to produce the perfect �bistro Beaujolais� favoured by Parisians to go with their steak-fr�tes; flavoury, sappy, easily forthcoming and good value for money.
Within such a large district, there is room for some variation: Brouilly from the area known as Pisse-Vieille, for example, is softer and rounder.
C�te de Brouilly
Though an enclave of Brouilly, its 310ha makes up what is a quite separate district, planted on the slopes of the remains of an ancient volcano. The soil is quite distinct being of a blue grey andesite. The wines have real bloom, deep purple, aromatic and a piquant, spicy, mineral flavour. The wines keep well too.
Keeping Beaujolais
By and large Beaujolais is meant for drinking young but some do keep. A 1976 Morgon C�te du Py from Trenel was still fabulous four or five years ago. Wines from Moulin � Vent and Ch�nas also keep well as can C�te de Brouilly.
Referred various sources
