Beaucoup du Beaujolais: Return of the B-Side

It's been way too long since I filed my last (and first) B-side report, something I originally intended to be a fairly regular installment here at MFWT.  So, when I recently gave the once over to the collection of dead soldiers that had accumulated on my kitchen table and realized that 80% of them were Beaujolais of one ilk or another, I figured it was due time for a return.

The hits—these could've/should've been A-sides (had I been studying in addition to enjoying):

Morgon, Marcel Lapierre 2008 and 2009
$25 and 22. 12 and 13% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA.
In the wake of Marcel Lapierre's recent death, I'm willing to hazard a guess that more of his wines have been consumed worldwide over the last two months than of any other artisan scale Beaujolais producer.  I'd bet the same applies to purchase rates, especially of the 2009, which piles vintage fervor on top of sentimentality. I'd love to buy some more of the '09 while the getting is still good but it's the 2008 that I'd really like to drink today.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the '09—full of bright, ripe fruit, juicy texture and a touch of earth—but it's still wearing a layer of baby fat, not yet ready to reveal its underlying stuffing.  The '08, on the other hand, is a perfect example of the old maxim that a great farmer and producer can make wonderful wines in so-called bad vintages.  2008 may have been difficult relative to 2009 but Lapierre's Morgon shows it only in its relative lightness and transparency when compared to the '09 (or good bottles of the '07); at heart, it's pure, elegant and lovely to drink.

Fleurie "Clos de la Roilette," Coudert Père et Fils 2009
$20.  13% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.
As much as I've been enjoying the Lapierre and any number of other 2009 Beaujolais and Cru Beaujolais, I've yet to find one that represents a better value than Coudert's Fleurie "Clos de la Roilette."  It's already received A-side treatment here, albeit in brief, so please allow me to reiterate, even more briefly, that the '09 Roilette is simply delicious.  The last couple of bottles I've tried suggest that it may be tightening up a bit but it's still delivering great pleasure.  If you haven't tried it, do.


The indie out-takes—throwin' down some funk:

Beaujolais-Villages, Damien Coquelet 2009
$15.  13% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.
A recent bottle was my first experience with Damien Coquelet's Beaujolais-Villages.  My immediate impressions put it right smack in the middle of the "does method trump terroir?" discussion that's been going on here recently.  There's an unmistakably natty, funky character to it that comes close to without entirely dominating the wine's sense of Beaujolais-ness.  For now, I can say that it is eminently drinkable, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Moulin-à-Vent, Domaine des Côtes de la Molière 2009 (Isabelle et Bruno Perraud) 2009
$22. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Jeffrey Alpert Selections, New York, NY.
This didn't do nearly as much for me (at least not at first) as did the theoretically simpler "Côtes de Poquelin" from the same estate.  In the first couple of days open, I found it to be much more an expression of natural wine making than of Moulin-à-Vent.  Mind you, I don't mind finding obvious natty signatures in a wine, just so long as they don't obscure the wine's terroir (sound familiar?).  Going back to the wine after at least seven days (my gut tells me it was closer to ten but I didn't keep exact track), though, it was showing a good deal better.  Still not the most profound example of Moulin-à-Vent, but a much clearer expression of cru Beaujolais than in its first days.  The "Poquelin," it should be noted, also performed really well over the course of several days, providing solid evidence, especially when combined with this experience, that sans soufre wines are not always as fragile as they're made out to be.


The misses—if I were still a music director, these might not have made the playlist:

Beaujolais-Villages, Gilles Gelin 2009
$16.  13% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
and
Beaujolais-Villages "Tracot," Domaine DuBost (Jean-Paul Dubost) 2009
$16.  12.5% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
Two more new wines from producers who are new to me.  If I'd tasted these blind, I think I'd have pegged them both as being from 2008 rather than 2009 as they showed attributes that suggested the not so great side of the '08 vintage: lean texture, tangy, confected fruit, and slightly green acidity.  The Gelin started out at that candied end of the spectrum but improved somewhat on day two.  DuBost's "Tracot," on the other hand, showed its best right out of the gates, all but falling apart by the next day.  DuBost has been getting decent traction of "natural-leaning" wine lists of late but this effort leaves me wondering why.  I wouldn't rule out revisiting other wines from these two estates but will not be inclined to plunk down $16 again on either of these particular bottlings.


The jury's still out—put them away for a while, bring them back later for another hearing :

Morgon Côte du Py "Vieilles Vignes," Jean-Marc Burgaud 2008 
$16.  13% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Free Run, Seattle, WA.
Here's a wine that shows the '08 vintage character in spades—lean, taut, somewhat unyielding—yet all the components are in place.  Jean-Marc Burgaud's Morgon "Côte du Py" is yet to show the elegance already displayed by Lapierre's Morgon but it's also not showing any of the unattractive characteristics of under-ripeness or chaptalization so common in the 2008 vintage in Beaujolais.  I've somewhat accidentally amassed a three-year vertical ('07-'09), so I'll give this a rest and give them all a revisit at a later date.

Côte de Brouilly "Cuvée Zaccharie," Château Thivin (Claude Geoffray) 2007
$39.  12.5% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA.
and
Côte de Brouilly "Cuvée les Ambassades," Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes 2009 
$19.  12.5% alcohol.  Cork.  Importer: Vintage '59, Washington, DC.
I may be comparing apples to oranges in the vintage department with this pairing but we're definitely talking oranges to oranges when it comes to the wines.  Both showed intense concentration and the kind of scale, in terms of body, color and texture, that one does not typically associate with Beaujolais.  Both also show a marked oak influence, especially Thivin's "Cuvée Zaccharie," which sees 10% new barrique and isn't shy about it.  These are unquestionably well made wines but their, I'll say it again, intense concentration is hard for me to get my arms around.  These are both wines that, if I had unlimited space (and budget, in the case of the Thivin), I'd like to put away not just for a little while but for a few years.  But I don't....

PS: In spite of the poor color rendering in my photos of the labels from Château Thivin and Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes, it's hard not to notice that they look practically identical.  The intertwined history of the two estates is a typically French story of marriage, inheritance, birth, death and separation; it's not easy to follow but you'll find a good telling of the story on the Vintage '59 website.

Intro only...

North and South of Lyon

From the political perspective, the wines of both Beaujolais and the Northern Rhône come from the same zone: the Rhône Department. Viticulturally, they’re all but connected by the Coteaux du Lyonnais. Yet they’re universally considered as separate, distinct entities – Beaujolais inextricably attached to Burgundy to its north and the Northern Rhône all too often considered in the same context if not the same breath as the much larger span of the Southern Rhône. And the wines, at least at first approach, seem worlds apart.

To the casual observer, Beaujolais is a wine of immediate charm. To the blind taster, its trademark aromas make it one of the easiest wines to pick out of an unknown line-up. That said, the best wines of Beaujolais offer much more than apparent at first taste.

While the wines of the Northern Rhône, based the on dark fruited vine Syrah, also have their signature traits, the wines tend to be far less approachable. Whether because of the high prices associated with the exalted wines of Côte Rôtie and Hermitage or due to the tannic structure and animal aromas of wines from Saint-Joseph and Cornas, Northern Rhône reds take a little more work to build a fundamental understanding.

The wines from both zones are very much worth the effort. And every once in a while, you’ll stumble upon a pair with enough in common that they seem to bridge the geographical gap between their respective points of growth.

Côte de Brouilly, Château Thivin (Claude Geoffray) 2005
$18. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA.
One whiff and there’s no mistaking it. This isn’t just Gamay, it’s Gamay Beaujolais. The dark strawberry fruit with a lashing of chalkiness are unmistakable. But here’s an example of Beaujolais where there’s much more than simple fruit lurking beneath the wine’s frontal charms. As it spends time in the glass, aromas of blackberries, white pepper and red licorice emerge and revolve. While a quick judge might write it off as light and simple, there’s actually substantial tensile strength to this Côte de Brouilly, thanks to both snappy acidity and firm tannic grip. When first uncorked on day two, it seemed immediately darker and more lush yet simpler than on day one, with scents of brandied cherries followed by a shorter, less nuanced touch on the palate. There was more to come, though, as with further exposure to air all of the nuances of the previous day returned along with spicy/earthy scents of cinnamon and licorice root mulch. This is drinking really nicely now and should continue to develop for another five to ten years.

Côtes du Rhône “Brézème,” Eric Texier 2005
$22. 12.5% alcohol. Composite cork. Importer: Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.
Even though Brézème is situated at the southern extreme of the Northern Rhône, Eric Texier’s 2005, which is varietal Syrah, blurs the stylistic boundaries between its zone and greater Burgundy. If I’d tasted blind, I think I’d have been more inclined, at least on day one, to pick this as red Burgundy from the Hautes Côtes de Nuits. It’s an elegant, bright and leaner than typical example of Rhône Syrah, very pretty on the nose, surprisingly delicate on the palate. In this vintage at least, it’s less obvious in its sense of specific place than is Thivin’s Beaujolais but it’s just as interesting, even if a little less rewarding, to explore. High-toned cherry and plum fruit strikes first, along with some of the same spice notes. On day two, a suggestion of olives comes forth from the background, pinning this wine more obviously as Rhône Syrah but without the burliness of wines from Cornas, just to the north of Brézème. Its tannins, in fact, are surprisingly soft. Though its charms are less obvious, I think the wine is likely to develop along a trajectory similar to the Côte de Brouilly. I’d love to revisit them both five years down the road.

Beaujolais map courtesy of The Wine Doctor.
Northern Rhône map courtesy of Eric Texier.

Intro only...