It’s that time of the year again! Beaujolais Nouveau Day is upon us and as with every third Thursday in November the stores will be flooded with fruity, inexpensive Gamay Noir ready to be gobbled up during the Holidays. Nothing wrong with indulging in this fruity fun style, it is after all just young wine to celebrate the harvest with the Beaujolais Nouveau style. Low in tannins with juicy ripe red fruits, cotton candy and bubble gum flavours and a hint of sweet spice makes for some great quaffing wine. However, there is so much more to Gamay that is worth exploring!
Unlike our previous posts on some of the more regal varietals of the world, this grape is one of the humbler ones. Gamay Noir hails from Burgundy where we know it has been cultivated since the 14th century but, due to some rather scandalous edicts back in the day, has been bound to the southern appellation of Beaujolais. Proclamations which favoured the elegance of Pinot Noir essentially relegated Gamay to the status of a farmer’s wine. This reputation struggled to shake it off until the 1950s when the release of Beaujolais Nouveau was standardized.
Gamay Noir from some of the Beaujolais Cru Villages is making some seriously complex and ageworthy wines. So rather than fuss about the fruity bubble gum styles which is all fun and dandy, let’s take a closer look at quality Gamay that you can stock up on for the holidays.
The Cru Villages of Beaujolais will be the first thing to look for on the label and will tell you that this is some serious Gamay. There are 10 crus that roughly run North to South although the most common ones to find in BC are Juliénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Morgon and Brouilly. Each of the villages will display different characteristics based on the local terroir.
Brouilly and Juliénas are my everyday wines when it comes to Beaujolais and these wines were built for the holidays. Wines from these villages will display a lot of ripe red fruits with red plum, raspberry and just a touch of cinnamon and a brightness on the palate that makes them extremely food friendly. There’s a reason why wine nerds like myself crave these wines with turkey dinners!
For a particularly awesome pairing try Stéphane Aviron Julienas. Aviron is a younger vigneron making Beaujolais wines to be ageable while also focusing on organic/biodynamic farming and sourcing fruit from old vines that produce incredible concentration in the bottle. Pick up and pair with turkey, game fowl and lighter pork dishes or just enjoy in front of the fireplace!
The next village of note would be Fleurie, where you can find incredible value in Clos de la Roilette. Fleurie wines are light, silky with a great mix of ripe red berries, cherries, black plum, and beautiful floral notes (think violets and rose petals). Roilette just happens to be one of the most iconic producers in Beaujolais and is a must-try for anyone wanting to explore Gamay.
Moulin-à-Vent and Morgon are two of the more scholarly Beaujolais Crus and the best examples can age with the same grace and complexity as the Bourgogne Pinot Noirs. If you’re game to tuck something into your cellar try a bottle of Joseph Drouhin Morgon but if you’re like me and want to try something now that has a bit of age on it JAK’s has Le Carquelin Moulin-à-Vent 2014 on the shelves these days and it is showing beautifully. Similar in the fruit, floral and spice profiles listed above, the defining feature of these wines is structure which makes them both ageable and very food friendly.
Although Beaujolais is the most recognizable region for quality Gamay, there are a few other producers of note outside of France that are doing great work with the grape! Keep an eye out for BC’s own Orofino, Rigour and Whimsy, and Blue Mountain for still versions as well as Bella for sparkling Red and Rosé.
Happy Beaujolais sips everyone!
Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Beaujolais - $34.99
Fleurie wines are light, silky with a great mix of ripe red berries, cherries, black plum, and beautiful floral notes (think violets and rose petals). Roilette just happens to be one of the most iconic producers in Beaujolais and is a must-try for anyone wanting to explore Gamay.
About the Author
Andrew Forsyth is a sommelier at L’abattoir Restaurant in Vancouver who also moonlights at JAK’s South Granville location. He currently holds the title of Sommelier of the Year from Wines of British Columbia and is working towards his Advanced Sommelier designation.