Sud-Ouest France, Fronton, Gaillac, & IGP Comte Tolosan Through the Wines of Vignobles Arbeau

Sud-Ouest France (south-West, France) is a large territorial zone stretching just southwest of Bordeaux to the Atlantic Ocean and bordering the Pyrenees to the south.  It incorporates several administrative regions, diverse geographic areas, and multiple wine grapes and styles. This includes sweet wines from Jurancon and Monbazillac; tannic, full-blooded reds from Cahors (Côt aka Malbec) and Madiran (Tannat); sparkling wines from Gaillac; and a wide range of dry white wines.

Wine Scholar Guild

According to wine-searcher.com, "The soils, climates, and topography of the South West are as wide-ranging as its wines. The presence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea means that much of the region has a maritime climate, but there are inland areas that make use of the drier, hotter summers created by their more continental climate. The Garonne, Dordogne, Lot, and Tarn rivers bring alluvial soil types (clay, sand, gravel) to much of the region. Other vineyard areas, such as Irouleguy and the wider Bearn are also set on the steep slopes and foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, offering a variety of stone types, along with varying altitudes and aspects".

A recent Hopwine exhibition included a couple wineries from the Sud-Ouest starting with Vignobles Arbeau. The winery and estate (Château Coutinel) are located in the village of Labastide Saint Pierre, within the AOP Fronton, with the village located 42km north of Toulouse and about equidistant between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. They also range beyond AOP Fronton to other South-West domains: AOP Gaillac, IGP Comté Tolosan, and IGP Côtes du Tarn. Our friends at Grape Experiences have a post concerning the winery's history and signature Négrette grape. 

AOP Fronton is an appellation to the north of Toulouse known for its rustic red wines (around 85 percent of production) in addition to smaller amounts of rosé. At least 50 percent of any Fronton vineyard must be planted with the Negrette grape (40% of any blended wine). Since the berries are small and tightly bundled, they are susceptible to powdery mildew and grey rot. Thus, the vines prefer hot, dry growing conditions and thrive in Fronton's dry, semi-continental climate. It is also particularly fond of the region's acidic, sandy clay boulbène soil type. 

Chateau Coutinel France - Sud-Ouest AOC Fronton Rosé 2020
This is a blend of 70% Négrette, 15% Syrah, and 15% Gamay grown on boulben, sandy-silt, and sometimes gravely soils.  This is a pleasant wine, candied cherry aroma, velvety texture, and lifting acids.

Chateau Coutinel France - Sud-Ouest AOC Fronton 2019
Same blend and soil types as the rosé showing fresh sizzling raspberries. Poprocks?

Chateau Coutinel Négrette / On L'appelle Négrette France - Sud-Ouest Fronton 2019
100%  Negrette grown on same soil types. This is a delicious wine, juicy and dense blackberries, some licorice, with suitable tannins and acids.

IGP Comte Tolosan is a large sub-region in the Sud-Ouest and encompasses 12 administrative departments, including the sub-regions of Jurançon, Cahors and Armagnac. The IGP label provides a geographical classification to wines that do not classify for the AOC-level appellations due to the grape variety or winemaking style. "Most IGP-related viticulture takes place in the center of the basin, along the course of the Garonne river. Old alluvial terraces provide well-drained, rocky environments for the vines, allowing for good flavor concentration in the grapes and deep, healthy root systems".

One popular grape in the IGP and other sub-regions is Braucol, a member of the Carmenets family and originating in the Spanish Basque Country. It is thought to have migrated to the region via pilgrims traveling the Way of Saint James. Specifically, it was spread by the Benedictine monks of Madiran and Conques who had recognized its rusticity allowing its cultivation in the Pyrenees and Aveyron. A synonym is Fer Servadou translating to wild and keeps well because it's a lambrusque (wild vine) and is highly resistant to mold. 

Domaine De Coutinel France - Sud-Ouest IGP Comté Tolosan Braucol 2020
This 100% Braucol wine begins with slight pepper but retains a soft elegance that carries through the finish.

AOP Gaillac is a historic wine-producing region located northeast of Toulouse and covers 64 communes spread out for roughly 20km (12 miles) from the town of Gaillac on the Tarn river. A further nine communes within the appellation lie on the other side of the town of Albi, on the eastern edge of the main winegrowing area. 

Duras – Fer – Syrah is the classic Gaillac wine blend with the Fer referring to Braucol. Together these three varieties make up at least 60 percent of any Gaillac red or rosé wine. Duras is an ancient grape variety, thought to have been introduced to France by the Romans more than 2000 years ago. In Sud-Ouest France, notably around Gaillac, it produces well-structured red wines full of color and alcohol.

Domaine Vaillieres France - Sud-Ouest AOP Gaillac 2019
This blend of 50% Braucol, 25% Duras, and 25% Syrah is from grapes from clay and limestone soils on the right bank of the Tarn River. It is very rustic, with a spicy-stoney character accentuated with a strong tannic backbone. A knockout. 

Miss Vicky Wine from Château des Moriers, Fleurie, Beaujolais

After a hiatus, we are continuing our Hopwine series from samples received over the summer and highlighting excellent Gamay wines made at Château des Moriers in Fleurie, Beaujolais and branded as Miss Vicky Wine.

Beaujolais is located in eastern France, immediately south of Burgundy, and is best known for its Gamay wines through Beaujolais Villages, Beaujolais Nouveau, and the ten Beaujolais crus - subregions recognized as the finest in Beaujolais. One of these outstanding areas is Fleurie often referred to as "The Queen of Beaujolais".  

"Fleurie is in the center of the ten Beaujolais crus. It lies just south of Moulin-à-Vent and Chénas and to the north of Morgon. Chiroubles lies just to the west. Vineyards face south and southeast overlooking the Saone River valley and are shielded from cold northwesterly weather systems by the hills to the west of the Beaujolais region. The region receives abundant sunshine hours as the grapes are slowly cooled by gentle influences from the Mediterranean Sea in the south. This ensures that ripening is slow and steady, leading to a balance of acidity and flavor in the grapes.  

Fleurie vineyards are generally planted on pink granite soil. But variations in textures and additional soil components give rise to different styles of wine. On the higher slopes within the appellation, the soils are made up of coarse, dry sand. This absorbs and reflects heat, aiding the ripening process. Wines produced from these vineyards are known for their delicate aromas. Vineyards lower down the slopes tend to have a higher proportion of water-retaining clay. This gives wines from these sites a slightly denser, more-structured style of wine." (1) 

Vines were first planted in Fleurie by Benedictine monks during the early Middle Ages. More recently, in 2005, Gilles Monrozier took over the nine-hectare family vineyard  -- a plot of sand and pink granite first planted with grapes by his ancestors 200 years ago and located in far northern Fleurie bordering Moulin-à-Vent.  More recently Gilles' daughter Anne-Victoire, a wine blogger, developed the Miss Vicky Wine brand in order to first highlight her family's wines and eventually other French winemakers and regions. 

 

Fleurie o Joie 2018

The wine is 100% Gamay from grown in different lots in the vineyard in front of the château.  Floral and fruit-forward.

Fleurie Fleurs des Champs 2018

The wine is 100% Gamay from grown in different lots in the vineyard in front of the château. It contains bright floral notes with earthy cherries with a dose of minerality.  One easy-drinking, delicious wine. 

Fleurie La Brirette 2015

The grapes derive from a one-hectare lot called La Brirette which is within the  Les Moriers sub-region. These wines are known for their bigger structure, depth, and spiciness and the La Brirette 2015 does not disappoint. It is dense with a plethora of spices which somehow lead to an elegant wine. 

Moulin-à-Vent Vielles Vignes 2014

This is a blend of two vineyard sites just over the border into Moulin-à-Vent. One sits on granitic soils, the other on sandy clay. The juice is fermented and aged in 400L barrels for about one year leading to complexity and a velvety texture. This wine melts in the mouth. Exceptional.

(1) Wine-searcher.com

Navigating the Crus at the Beaujolais Road Show

Discover Beaujolais

"In 1395 Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, ordered that all Gamay vines be uprooted by the following Easter. The Duke believed the cultivation methods used in raising Gamay were damaging the reputation of Pinot Noir. Although the decision sparked such uproar among the public, the Duke’s attempts at eradicating Gamay were thorough, enforcement of his ordinance did not reach Beaujolais in the very south of Burgundy, where pockets of the grape continued to grow.", Discover Beaujolais

Discover Beaujolais

And Gamay held on in these pockets quietly, until 1937 when Beaujolais became a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). At last, Gamay was finally recognized as that region's protected grape. Gamay is a cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc and it was originally brought to the area from Croatia by the Huns in the 4th century. Beaujolais is located north of Lyon in eastern France and actually overlaps Burgundy in the north and Rhône in the south. The vineyards sit on mostly granite terrain that overlooks the Saône River. The soils provide minerality and structure whereas the abundant sunshine and warming influences from the river provide complete fruit maturation.

Discover Beaujolais

The region consists of a dozen appellations which include 10 Crus - the "jewels" of Beaujolais where Gamay is the heart and soul. According to Discover Beaujolais, expect fine and flavored profiles from Brouilly, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Régnié, and Saint-Amour and intense and generous profiles from Chénas, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas, Morgon, and Moulin-à-Vent. The two other appellations are Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages and both permit red, white and rosé wines. The Beaujolais appellation is the widest covering about 24 square miles in the south and east. Vines in this appellation grow in limestone-clay and granitic soils around 72 villages and provide 65% of Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Villages accounts for the remaining 35%, is the second widest region, and is divided into three zones. "The southern zone is near the Haute-Azergues hills and has soil that produces very fruity wine. Wines with greater structure are made in the central zone, and the northern area is known for its full-bodied wine."

Beaujonomie is the assertion that good wine should be enjoyed over a shared table with lively conversation and delicious food. And Discover Beaujolais is using 2019 to introduce this concept to American consumers through various Beaujolais Road Shows, one which just presented in New York City and Washington. Seventeen Beaujolais wineries conversed with attendees describing their operation, vineyard, the crus, appellation, and anything else relevant to the winery.

Being a warm afternoon, Beaujolais blanc (Chardonnay ) was an appropriate starting point.  At Domaine Louis Tête, current winemaker Jean Tête and his daughter Justine have a pedigree dating from the early 1800s when their family first planted vines in “Les Dépôts” (a few kilometers from Beaujeu the historical capital of Beaujolais). Thus Louis Tête is the oldest brand in Beaujolais and their 2018 Beaujolais Blanc is tart with a green apple profile and refreshing acids. In contrast, the Domaine Piron 2018 Beaujolais Blanc is more saline driven with a more citrus and pineapple profile. Granite soils seem to be in play here. This winery has an even longer winemaking pedigree as the co-owner Dominique Piron’s oldest known ancestor, a future winemaker,  was born in Morgon en 1590. Co-owner Julian Revillon is very proud of this wine as well as his cru wines and provided an introduction to Morgon (the second largest cru) and Chénas (the smallest). The decaying volcanic soils in Morgon help create elegant wines with racy acidity and solid tannic structure as evident by the Domaine Piron Morgon Cote du Py 2017. And in Chénas, granitic soils are covered with Quartz crystals providing similar minerality in the Domaine Piron Chénas Quartz 2016 that combine with floral and stone fruit notes and rounded tannins. Excellent.

Cécile Dardanelli presented several Domaine Bel Avenir wines from various Beaujolais crus including the Morgon Les Charmes 2017 and the Chénas Grand Guinchay 2107. The Morgon was very fruit forward providing fresh acids and the Chénas was juicy and solid tannic structure both in contrast to the Domaine Piron. The highlight from this 4th generation producer was their Fleurie Poncié 2017 that was silky with easy tannins. The soils in Fleurie are predominately pink granite and the vines benefit from exposure to warm morning sunshine during the growing season.

Moulin-à-Vent lies just north of Fleurie and Domaine de la Fond Moiroux showcased the cru through a vertical from 2016 back to 2009. The 45-year-old vines are planted on similar pink granite soils but differ with Fleurie due to large manganese deposits. These wines were intense with dense fruit and varying degrees of acidity that allowed the wine to remain fresh through most of the eight years.

P. Ferraud & Fils poured the best Moulin-à-Vent of the tasting in their Moulin-à-Vent La Dynastie Des Ferraud, 2015 -- very dense and intense fruit -- but the Saint-Amour, Cuvée Ensorceleuse 2017 from this 5th generation winemakers was also delicious. It had more fruit character - berries and even some stone fruit - but a nice structural backbone laced with minerals. The terrain in this most northern cru is hilly with clay and loam soils augmented with granite and limestone.

Juliénas lies adjacent to Saint-Amour but provides heavier wines than its neighbor. "The terroir of Julienas is often considered to be the most variable in the Beaujolais region. The soils are transitional, ranging from granite further up the hills in the west to more sedimentary and alluvial in the east nearer the river". Chateau de Julienas dates from the 14th century when it was a winemaking estate owned by the Lords of Beaujeu. In 1907 Claude Condemine bought and restored the Chateau and improved the vineyard and today it is managed by his grandson Thierry. Their Chateau de Juliénas- Juliénas Tradition 2016 is a well-balanced wine starting with tart red cherries transitioning to a rustic pepper character and finishing with fresh acidity.

Régnié is the youngest cru, gaining that status in 1988 after being part of the larger Beaujolais Villages appellation. It is known for lighter wines, fragrant and structured, with refined tannins. The cru shares the common pink granite soils but at some of the highest terrain within Beaujolais. Chateau de Durette is also relatively new, with Marc Theissen crafting the first wines a decade ago. The vines for their Régnié Les Bruryeres 2018 are 60-70 year-old vines planted next to the winery and Theissen utilizes a new regulation allowing for the labeling of single vineyards. Thus the home vineyard of "Les Bruyères" is proudly displayed.

Like Régnié, the Chiroubles cru is a cooler climate because of its higher altitudes and provides lighter and fresher styles of Gamay. The granite soils come into play in Chiroubles reflecting heat that warms the grapes in cooler conditions.  Fabien Collonge is a young winemaker (23 years old) but in terms of the Domaine Fabien Collonge Chiroubles L'Aurore des Cotes 2017, crafts wines worthy of more established producers. This wine is noted for its savory fruit and a rounded mouth-feel finishing with refreshing acidity.

Brouilly is the southernmost cru and is known for their robust and full-bodied wines characterized by the Domaine Ruet Brouilly Vielles Vignes 2016. There is a range of mesoclimates and soils composition in the vineyards of Brouilly so there is plenty of differences of wine profiles within the cru. Domaine Ruet is now on its 4th generation winemaker and this one comes from 60-100-year-old vines planted in pink granite soils of Voujon, Les Grands Bruyères. This is an elegant wine, candied cherries and raspberries, with traces of minerality and chewy tannins.

Côte de Brouilly is surrounded completely by the much larger Brouilly appellation and is known more concentrated wines with less earthiness than those from its neighbor. The soils contain diorite, a blue stone that results from ancient volcanic activity. These thin, stony, and occasional clay soils are well drained and lack water and nutrients which result in small but highly concentrated berries. Wines like the Cave du Chateau Des Loges, Côte de Brouilly Prestige 2017 provide dense fruit, tannic structure, and in this specific case, once again stone fruit.

Old Westminster Winery, Burnt Hill Farm, & The Summer Solstice Festival

“We’re going to challenge current beliefs with unique and transparent wines – wines that offer balance, nuance, and character. We’re going to farm thoughtfully, using biodiverse cover crops, biodynamic principles and incorporating animals. And then, in the winery, we’re going to craft wines with a light hand, ferment with indigenous yeast, and bottle it all without fining or filtration. These wines will be made without makeup – a pure reflection of the time and place where they’re grown and the people who guided the process." Drew Baker.

Photo Courtesy of
Old Westminster Winery

This is the guiding principle behind the next phase of Maryland's Old Westminster Winery as this accomplished and innovative winery attempts to challenge contemporary winemaking through The Burnt Hill Project. The Baker family has been very successful in their previous endeavors, first by immediately impressing consumers and critics after an initial launch of Old Westminster Winery, being the first to can and successfully market Maryland wine, and creating a custom crush facility for other aspiring winemakers.  So there's little reason to conclude this next phase will not be as successful.

Burnt Hill Farm is located in northwestern Montgomery County and its name comes from the late 1800s, when the owners "despaired of growing crops in the nutrient-poor soils and made money by burning trees and brush to make charcoal, potash, and lye". The farm has the ideal gradient and clay-limestone soils congruent for Gamay and Pinot Noir, grapes normally not planted in the Free State. But why stop there. They are also planting "90 experimental varieties bred by Cliff Ambers, an iconoclastic viticulturist who pollinates native grape vines with pollen from European vinifera varieties” Dave McIntyre Washington Post.

The Bakers will continue the viticulture philosophy from their Home Vineyard in Westminster, all work done by hand, sustainable farming, minimalist winemaking, and fermenting with native yeast. They have also incorporated bio-dynamic vineyard practices at Burnt Hill Farm  -- starting two years before planting their first vines - in order to create a living organism. Biodynamic farms generate their own fertility through composting, integrating animals, and cover cropping. This effort at Burnt Hill includes rotating cover crops like wheat and daikon radish, planting manure filled bull horns that will eventually fertilize the vineyard, and introducing sheep next year.

"We choose to think of our farm as a living, breathing organism. Like a human body with a system of organs, our farm is a complex system of interacting substances and processes...> biodynamics." Drew Baker

Consumers can discover Old Westminster's minimalist approach to winemaking as well as taste a preview of what should come from Burnt Hill at their Summer Solstice Festival on June 22, 2019. Under a circus tent at Burnt Hill Farm, low-intervention winemakers from across the globe will pour 100+ unique wines. The lineup includes Broc Cellars, Hiyu Wine Farm, Zafa Wines, Floral Terranes, Margins Wine, Methode Sauvage, Iapetus Wine, Wild Arc Farm, Inconnu Wine, Johan Vineyards, The Scholium Project, Fable Farm, Purity Wine, En Cavale, Fausse Piste, Old Westminster, Lightwell Survey, Liten Buffel, Maitre de Chai, Old World Winery, Les Lunes, Ruth Lewandowski, Brooks, Art+Science, Native Selections, Zev Rovine, Williams Corner, Plant Wines, MFW, Domestique, Wines of Georgia, Revel Wine, and more...

And to learn more about the festival and Old Westminster Winery tune to #Winestudio on Twitter Tuesdays in June at 9PM E.T. Cheers and hope to see you at the Summer Solstice.

Finding Riesling and Gamay in the Niagara Escarpment & Back 10 Cellars

The Canadian Province of Ontario consists of four major wine regions: Lake Erie North Shore, Prince Edward County, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Niagara Escarpment & Twenty Valley. Whereas Niagara-on-the-Lake (40 wineries) was the birthplace of Ontario’s modern wine industry, the largest and most populous region is the Niagara Escarpment & Twenty Valley (47 wineries).  "The Niagara Escarpment (a ridge carved by ancient glaciers) is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve" for not only the  hundreds of plant and animal species, but also includes  Niagara Falls and the distinctive micro-climate that supports Ontario’s most active wine region.

While driving from Buffalo to Toronto to catch the Nationals-Blue Jays series our craft beer-centric group stopped at one of these active wineries Back 10 Cellars just outside Beamsville. We only had a few minutes at the tasting room but we learned that the name refers to the 10 acre estate and that it took the owners 10 years to produce their first bottle of wine. The wines are mostly produced from this estate which is farmed utilizing some organic and biodynamic practices and hand harvested. Since there was no time for a formal tasting we grabbed bottles of three wines I thought would be interesting and representative of the region. Cheers to UncorkOntario for the tip and as always you can explore Wine Country Ontario using theCompass Craft Beverage Finder.

The Big Reach 2017 (CA$22.95) This Riesling was crafted from whole pressed free run” juice. It is off dry but the sugar isn't noticeable as the wine's acidity compensates. It shows a delicious combination of citrus, ripe apples, and petrol.

Smitten Sparkling 2017 (CA$24.95) This Riesling sparkling wine is produced using the Charmat process where the secondary fermentation occurs in sealed pressurized tanks. Like the still version, the Smitten's acidity blows by any hint of sweetness and shares common characteristics sans the petrol.

Everything At Stake Gamay 2017 (CA$24.95) The Gamay for this wine was sourced from the Bonamo Vineyard in the same Lincoln Lakeshore DVA. After fermentation the wine is aged four months in neutral American Oak and helps provide a lighter bodied fruit forward wine with soft but chewy tannins and powerful acids. An acid hound's dream and popular among this beer drinking crowd.

Wine Chateau Uncorks Life with the 2011 Château des Jacques Moulin-à Vent

Our friends at the Wine Chateau sent us another care package this Fall and I immediately saw fit to open the 2011 Château des Jacques Moulin-à Vent ($23). The wine is part of the Louis Jardot portfolio and is made from Gamay grown in the prestigious Moulin-à-Vent appellation in Beaujolais. Nothing wrong with the seasonal Beaujolais Nouveau, but this is a more Burgundian wine - having spent ten months in oak (30% in new oak) - and is age-able for those with patience. Not here. This is a juicy wine, full of black cherry, plenty of texture, with a slight mocha chocolate finish.  Well done, indeed. Check back soon when we open the Ruffino Classico Riserva and Castello Banfi Belnero. Cheers.

The Masculine Side of Beaujolais - a Focus on More Robust Crus

On the heels of participating in the first Beaujolais Taste Live event: Discover Beaujolais - The Feminine Side of Beaujolais; we were invited to participate in the second round: The Masculine Side of Beaujolais - a Focus on More Robust Crus. Once again the event wass sponsored by Inter Beaujolais, the official wine-trade organization of the region. And once again, we received four wines - this time representing high quality cru wines from different vintages that are available in the United States. These were:

• Christophe Pacalet, Cote de Brouilly, 2006;
• Pascal Granger, Juliénas, 2005
• Loluis-Claude Desvignes, Morgon, 2007
• Domaine Diochon, Moulin à Vent, 2008

And like the first event, I care least for the first wine - although not nearly as bad as before. The Christophe Pacalet, Cote de Brouilly, 2006 retails for $17 and is basically an easy sipping fruity wine. Yea, there's plenty of fruit, but that was it. No acidity, no tannins, no structure, no finesse, just fruit. rose substantially moving to the Pascal Granger, Juliénas, 2005, the most expensive wine of the night at $24. This wine exhibited true Old World characteristics with some mineral content from the nose to the tail. Plus some cherry flavor and texture on the palette. This was an excellent wine. The Loluis-Claude Desvignes, Morgon, 2007 ($20) followed with more fruit but balanced with subtle amounts of acidity, earthiness, and some spiciness - all the character lacking in the Christophe Pacalet, Cote de Brouilly. The tasting sheet was right on with the white pepper notes. Another excellent wine. Yet, the masterpeice of the evening was the final wine, the Domaine Diochon, Moulin à Vent, 2008 ($21). This wine seemed to include the best characteristics of the previous two - dark fruit flavors and earthy minerals. This wine exudes strong aromatics, contains structure, acidity, tannins - all the usual wine buzz words. This is one wine we will keep in our cellar.

Taste Live: Discover Beaujolais

This past Wednesday we were invited to participate in a twitter Taste Live event "Discover Beaujolais". The event is sponsored by Inter Beaujolais, the official wine-trade organization of the region, working to promote Beaujolais wines and raise awareness of the region. Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) and the wine is mostly Gamay grape, a low tannic, thin skinned grape. According to Wikipedia the region of was first cultivated by the Romans who planted the areas along its trading route up the Saône valley. "The most notable Roman vineyard was Brulliacus located on the hillside of Mont Brouilly. The Romans also planted vineyards in the area Morgon. From the 7th century through the Middle Ages, most of the viticulture and winemaking was done by the Benedictine monks. In the 10th century, the region got its name from the town of Beaujeu, Rhône and was ruled by the Lords of Beaujeu till the 15th century when it was ceded to the Duchy of Burgundy. The wines from Beaujolais were mostly confined to the markets along the Saône and Rhône rivers, particularly in the town of Lyon. The expansion of the French railroad system in the 19th century opened up the lucrative Paris market. The first mention of Beaujolais wines in English followed soon after when Cyrus Redding described the wines of Moulin-à-Vent and Saint-Amour as being low priced and best consumed young".

During the Taste Live event, we tasted four wines selected to represent the region and which were widely available in this country. Specifically they were the Domaine Cheysson, Chiroubles; Henry Fessy, Brouilly; Charly Thevenet “Grain et Granit”, Règniè; and the Alain Coudert, Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie, 2009.

Domaine Cheysson, Chiroubles, 2009
This wine, like all the others, is 100% Gamay and is made from grapes planted in the highest cru in the appellation. Chiroubles is home to approximately 80 winemakers and because of its attitude, cooler temperatures allow for a later harvest. I'm not sure if elevation had an effect, but the wine had a repugnant black tea aroma - that was tough to get past. Once I did, I found a tart, raspberry flavored wine; not bad - but not a good start to the evening.


Henry Fessy, Brouilly, 2009
Brouilly is the southern most region of the appellation and is comprised of six villages and four terroirs. Wine from Brouilly is the most popular in the United States, one reason is that the cru represents 20% of the Beaujolais region. The Henry Fessy had a slightly similar Back Tea aroma, but more red fruit which didn't allow the tea to overwhelm the nose. The flavor is silky smooth; some texture, with black fruit and some chocolate. Plus a longer smoother finish. This texture is mostly due to the manganese soils, which yield more robust wines. Since the first two wines retail for a similar price ($15-$18), it was a no brainer for me which I would select.

Charly Thevenet “Grain et Granit”, Règniè, 2009
This wine was the most expensive, $35, of the group; partly from its pedigree - crafted by Charly Thevenot, the son of Jean-Paul Thevenot. The wine is also crafted using Biodynamic methods and aged 12 months in 4 year old Burgundy barrels. Could be why locals consider this a "pinotfied" wine - even though Gamay is a relative to Pinot Noir. "Pinotfied" or not, this is a fine wine; red fruit flavors, and very smooth - not a great value - but a good wine.

Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie, 2009
This region is named after a Roman legionary, not any flower; although the wines are more elegant than anything resembling a Roman soldier. The cru "backs up on to the a chain of peaks including Avenas, Durbize and Les Labourons". The Clos de la Roilette retails for $20 and after the tasting, this is a decent value. The wine is smokey, from the nose to the tail - but only subtly so. Fruit flavors eventually dominant but this is still the most earthy of the wines - dry and "minerally". Drinking the remainder right now, in fact, it remains nice even after three days opened on the shelf.

We felt very privileged participating in this event. We seemed to have ignored Beaujolais wines for awhile, but no longer. We've always liked Gamay, and the search will start to explore Beaujolais Gamay as well as more U.S. made Gamay. of the four, I think the Brouilly may have been my favorite with the Fleurie and Règniè close behind. Make sure to visit Inter Beaujolais to Discover Beaujolais.