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Best of the Beaujolais

by
02 November 2006

WHEN DID you last drink a bottle of Beaujolais? Well, I did the night before last, but I must admit that it is a wine that has fallen far in my awareness ratings. It seems that it is going through a torrid time in Britain. Even the largest importer of the wine into this country admitted as much to me recently. “If it wasn’t for Fleurie,” he said, “there would be no Beaujolais on wine-lists.” While this might be exaggerated, it does reflect the situation.

It is true that the region has not been helped by a series of difficult vintages, but the growers have milked too hard the cash cow that is Beaujolais Nouveau, from which instant access to the market guaranteed instant cash . . . at the price of quality. The scale of the plight in the Beaujolais was revealed when millions of litres of wine had to be sent for distillation.

Their image was not helped by their suing a small regional newspaper, Lyon’Mag, for defamation, when one of its writers, in a debate with a representative of the growers, described the wines as “merde”. A court found in favour of the growers, and imposed punitive damages. Though these were reduced on appeal, the whole action seemed somewhat vindictive.

All is not gloom, however, and, not wanting to be sued myself, I can say that there are a number of excellent wines in the region. This was confirmed for me when I tutored a Beaujolais tasting last week.

The wines all came from the specialist Beaujolais importer, Roger Harris ( www.rogerharriswines.co.uk). The declining relevance of the wines is witnessed by the fact that he, the most faithful of apostles of the Beaujolais, has now spread his net to list wines from Australia, New Zealand, and the South of France. Of the eight wines we tasted, my favourites were a barrel-aged Morgon from the Domaine Aucoeur, and the Côte de Brouilly of Château Thivin. Both these wines retail at about £10.

With summer just around the corner (I have taken my cricket whites out of mothballs), good Beaujolais makes ideal drinking for the red-wine lover. Its fresh fruitiness, often accentuated by giving the bottle half an hour in the fridge, can be most refreshing. The locals claim that it is the only wine that quenches thirst — suggesting, I suppose, that it should be drunk repeatedly. While I am not convinced that it does quench thirst, I am happy to follow this suggestion.

Georges Duboeuf is the French company that has probably done more than any other to put Beaujolais on the map. Its wines are generally fruit-driven in a modern style. Majestic is offering a Beaujolais Discovery case 2002 for £84.99. This should enable you to appreciate the broad range of flavours that come from this comparatively small region.

I can also recommend from Majestic the Beaujolais Villages 2003 Domaine de La Plaigne from Gilles Roux (£6.49 a bottle, £5.99 if you buy two). From Oddbins, I would select the Morgon Domains des Souchons 2002 (£8.99), which is more full-bodied in style, and, from Sainsbury’s, the Duboeuf Fleurie 2003 Signature Collection (£8.99).

 

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