Beaujolais
Autumn's Pinot Noir
Welcoming Autumn in 2024 with a beautiful, magical auroral display that has occurred in NJ previously this year but it was always cloudy—until now.
Beaujolais
The Beaujolais wine region in France sits right underneath Burgundy (Bourgogne.) It focuses mainly on Gamay-based wines which range from fruity to rustic. They are simple compared to Burgundy but have exceptional quality, especially within the 10 Crus.
You can expect high acidity, medium dryness, low tannin, light body and low to medium alcohol when you take a sip of one of these. You can age them but no more than 5-7 years and typically just the Cru styles should be aged. They are meant to be enjoyed young and in a glass that allows aroma collection near the top.
Beaujolais has massively fruity and floral notes like pomegranate, blackberry bramble, cherry, raspberry, violet, banana, and even an earthy soil kind of smell. Sometimes I even get a whiff of bubblegum and cinnamon from the carbonic maceration used to create this beautiful style. You can find most bottles for about $15-$20 so they don’t typically break the bank. Even if you choose one of the Crus, you won’t spend more than $25-$30.
As a light-bodied red wine, it pairs well with most dishes: sweet, sour, fish, beef, etc. Very similar to Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Schiava, and Frappato.
Beaujolais is not as serious as Burgundy but they make some seriously tasty wine. Being only 34 miles long and 7-9 miles wide, there are nuances in each terroir due to the soil and the division of the land by the Nizerand River. All of the Crus are on the Northern side of the region, and the soil is predominantly granite and schist (producing a more concentrated flavor due to the vines having to dig deep for nutrients) in the North and clay-based in the South.
Beaujolais wines are divided into Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages (39 villages have the right to label their wine with this designation,) and the 10 Crus (you can age these depending on the techniques used to produce them): Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-vent, Régnié, and Saint-Amour. Brouilly is the largest but in my exploration of the region, Fleurie and Morgon are my favorite Crus. Fleurie is lighter and Morgon is bolder.
There is also Beaujolais Nouveau, which is specifically made for early drinking. It cannot be released until the third Thursday in November after the vintage and cannot be sold after the following August 31st. Too many rules but these are fruity, light-bodied, and filled with kirsch, banana, and cinnamon notes due to the carbonic maceration technique used to produce them (CM just means that the grapes were placed into vats sealed with carbon dioxide, whole and uncrushed to start intracellular fermentation—it produces a light (very low tannin) but very soft, fruity wine style.)
This Beaujolais
Wine details:
Domaine des Perelles Fleurie 2022
$19 and 13.5% ABV (medium alcohol and light body)
Ruby color
Cherry, raspberry, and violets on the nose and palate with high acidity and soft tannins
Serve slightly chilled
Drink now or age another year or two and pair with sharp cheeses, antipasto, cured meats, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers
Wine geek details:
The domaine has produced estate wines since 1877 with 26 hectares in the Beaujolais Crus
Hand-harvested and fully expressing the granite and schist terroir
Yards Brewing Company Brawler
A smooth, malty, amber-colored 4.2% ABV ale to complement any appetizer or dinner for the season. Extremely drinkable and pairs well with apples, almonds, and muenster cheese as you can see above.
Crafted by Yards Brewing Company out of Philadelphia, this is a great example of an English Dark Mild Ale. Delicate hops with notes of caramel, molasses, and toast. Malt bill seems to be crystal and amber malts with roasted barley.
Sessionable—which means you can drink a few in a row 😉