BudgetBacchus

I think Beaujolais is the cat’s pajamas. There, I said it. I can get down with a bottle of Beaujolais — in fact it’s so drinkable and affordable that I often find myself overindulging. Think of it as a pretty young thing you appreciate in your youth — not too mature or deep, but a whole lot of fun. When you’re a bit older you’ll appreciate that vintage Bordeaux all the more. If you’re unsure of your own feelings, then get over yourself and go pick up a bottle or three and forget the naysayers who are busy talking up their latest fad darling with a pretty label from Napa.

Contrary to what stuffy oenophiles and critics would have you believe, Beaujolais is not a second class wine. Sure, there’s varying levels of quality and a whole bunch of negative press a few years back involving the popular Beaujolais Nouveau, but don’t let that deter you. A quick primer regarding classification: 1. Beaujolais can be used generally to identify wine from any of the sixty villages that make up the region. 2. Beaujolais Villages indicates the wine may come from any of 39 specified villages, generally indicating higher quality, and 3. Cru Beaujolais indicating the highest quality wine from one of ten villages in the foothills of the Beaujolais Mountains.



For those of you who are not geographically inclined or find yourselves scratching your skulls whilst considering the various wine regions of France, I’ll make it simple. Have you ever heard of a place called Burgundy? I hope so. Beaujolais is a region of France in the south of Burgundy north of Lyon. The Rhône Valley is just south, sharing a similar climate. There’s a whole long and complicated French wine history to accompany the story of Beaujolais, but we’ll move along now to the important part where we imbibe.



Beaujolais is unique among reds in that it can benefit from being chilled. Seriously? Seriously. I found this out recently when a friend pulled a bottle of 2008 Louis Jadot Beaujolais from his fridge and poured into red wine glasses. I was initially confused, but went along and started drinking. The gears on my watch hadn’t yet struck noon, but that’s beside the point. The chilly temperature seemed to enhance the fruit forward character of the wine and encourage glass after glass of easily accessible deliciousness washing over my palette. So my snout sniffed out dark cherries on the nose and I gulped and tasted Beaujolais’ characteristic ripe fruit and berries, and as the vino sloshed around tickling my palette I didn’t think much of the missing tannins that make you look like a puckering fish. To be fair, the tannin structure’s not too bad in the Louis Jadot, providing a nice balance alongside its sweet character and relatively high acidity sharpening its notes.

One last thing to note before signing off; because I know you’ve been quietly curious about which grape varietals are responsible for this deliciously fruity and accessible young wine, I will tell you: Gamay. Huh? Yep. Gamay is the most popular grape used in the production of Beaujolais reds (Whites use Chardonnay grapes), known for thin skin and being low in tannins. It is light bodied in a similar, if less complex and delicate way, than say, pinot noir. Think of Gamay as pinot’s less sophisticated and less temperamental cousin. Think of Beaujolais in much the same way. Forget all the fuss and snobbery. Drink up and enjoy bottle after bottle after bottle and do it on the cheap! Santé!