THE STORY:
Three years ago, in late September I arrived in Marseille and the next thing I did, after work and getting a place to stay, was to get some wines. The shop, Nicolas, belonged to a chain. There were even more Nicolas shops in town than the 6 engineers called Nicolas we had in the office. That, together with my Pittsburgh friend Nicolas Nordmann, the ex-president Nicolas Sarkozi and the church of St. Nicolas engraved in my mind the synonymous France = Nicolas. But France is more than that. It is also France = wine.
I followed the shop tender advice and got my Bordeaux with a 2013. It got to the sink drain. Next day I told him, and he then concluded that I was not the typical foreign uncultivated guy with whom he could clean up his stock. We then got into the few 2012s he had left. However, as we became closer he began to offer me wines from Languedoc, Provence and Cote du Rhone. He was clearly a local.
One day in the 3rd week of November, the floor got invaded by cases. I asked him what happened, and he responded, lifting his right hand and looking up:
Le Beaujolais est arrivé!
THE REAL STORY:
Beaujolais is an appellation in Bourgogne with the following characteristics:
· Located in the Southern tip
· Main varietal is Gamay
· Produces more than half of Bourgogne’s wine
· Very affordable
Its light and fruity wines are made through the malolactic fermentation and immediately bottled and released. They are the first wine of the year that most French will drink.
Georges Duboeuf introduced the concept in Paris during the mid-20th century, and it quickly made a huge marketing splash well beyond France. Duboeuf became the king of Beaujolais and is the largest producer and exporter by far. Nowadays, the producers will go through extenuating efforts to be amongst the first so that their wines can be found when the shop tenders scream:
Le Beaujolais est arrivé!
Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Tasting Notes:
As per public Websites:
Cherry and currant with some hints of licorice and pepper. Light bodied with chewy finish. WS 87 pts.
My private ones:
A combination of cherry from canned fruit, lollypop and old-fashion bubble gum. Some red licorice. Very light, acidic and fresh. Crisp, informal and festive. 86 pts. Be careful, it can be drunk very easily! And enjoy the Holidays!
Have a nice Holiday!