There is a buzz in the world of wine and a revolution happening in France and it concerns Beaujolais. I am not talking about the light bodied, slightly fizzy red that smells of bananas and confected fruit. I am talking about serious wine, made with old-vine Gamay that requires ageing in the cellar; Beaujolais like it used to be made….and those lucky enough to have a few bottles of the 1960s in their cellar will know exactly what I mean.

The revolution may have started with Marcel Lapierre, who advocated late picking, slow fermentations at cool temperatures and ageing in barriques, but today, many famous Burgundian producers (such as Michel Lafarge, Thibault Liger-Belair and Bouchard Pere et Fils) are travelling from the Côte-d’Or southwards and buying plots of land in Beaujolais’ most famous Crus such as Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent. It has become a fight for the best plots with old-vine Gamay and with good reason. These old vines in the best plots are the secret to making age-worthy, fascinating wines that combine the mouth-watering salinity of Gamay with its hallmark fleshiness of fruit.

The rolling blue granite hills of Beaujolais are located south of the Maconnais, close towards Lyon, and are in fact located closer to the Rhone Valley than most of Burgundy. During the 10th Century it was owned by the Lords of Beaujeu (in the Rhone Valley) until it became annexed to the Duchy of Burgundy in the 15th century. It is almost impossible to include Beaujolais into the same bracket as the rest of Burgundy; firstly the wines are made with Gamay rather than Pinot Noir, secondly the climate is much warmer giving totally different vintage reports.

There are 10 Beaujolais Crus, or recognised villages, that stand at the top of the classification (above the straightforward light-bodied Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages). The 10 villages lie in one continues plot on granite soil and are known as Brouilly, Côte-de-Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, St. Amour, and Régnié. The villages each have distinctive terroir with soil structure, altitude and exposure playing a role in their different characteristics. For example, Fleurie is located at a high altitude on steep slopes and the wines are lighter in style with a distinctive floral perfume. The two top names in Beaujolais (and fighting to become recognised as 1er Crus within the appellation system) are Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent and with age these take on the characteristics of aged Pinot-Noir.

Moulin-à-Vent is often referred to as the ‘King of Beaujolais’ for its dark profile, yet elegance and ageing potential (good producers can happily age for 10+ years). Its name is derived from a 300-year old windmill that stopped working in 1820 and today is considered a historical monument and the best vineyards of the appellation are located directly below the windmill. The soil is pink granite with a high level of manganese (similar to the much admired Cerrequio vineyard in Barolo) and responsible for the dark colour and structure so distinctive for Moulin-à-Vent.

No blog on Beaujolais is complete without a mention of Beaujolais Nouveau, which is released on the third Thursday in November following the vintage. Beaujolais Nouveau started as a trend for local bistros that enjoyed that a simple fresh wine that only weeks prior were bunches of grapes freshly harvested. It is the closest that a red wine can be to white wine with a short maceration and quick bottling. Its easy approachability took the world by storm and Beaujolais Nouveau parties are held world-wide. It’s not to everyone’s taste but certainly has its place in the vast world of wine.

Cheers!